One Missed Strike: The Complete Original Trilogy
by Davin Sunrider
Summary: (Original Trilogy AU) In an alternate universe where Darth Vader is the Emperor and the Death Star was never built, Luke Skywalker joins the Rebellion's desperate struggle against the tyranny of the man he already knows to be his father... (The original 'One Missed Strike' stories, collected together in one newly revised and updated edition.)
1. I,1: A New Hope

**Author's Note:** This is a re-post of the original stories in my '_One Missed Strike_' series, collected together along with the inter-episode oneshots in one edition for the sake of reader convenience. While I have made some revisions - mainly for clarity of plot and improvement of wording - I have not made any major changes to the plot, or added new scenes. Believe me, I was tempted in a few places, but ultimately I decided to settle for minor tweaks and mostly leave it as it was first published. Personally, I believe in improving by moving on to new and better stories, not by obsessively reworking your existing works the way certain bearded, bespectacled, flannel-wearing, marvelously imaginative but also tremendously frustrating people do, even when most people like them just fine the way they were.

*ahem*

I'm also leaving the original versions up, mainly to preserve the reviews. Speaking of, reviews are most welcome, whether you're a long-time fan reading this again or a new reader discovering this story for the first time.

* * *

-/\\-

* * *

**One Missed Strike  
Part I  
**

Prologue

_The universe is an ever-expanding web of choices, of paths created by every decision ever made, every event balanced by equal chance. According to some theories, the universe itself splits at each of these divergences and follows both paths, creating endless variations of reality._

_Sometimes both paths closely parallel one another, but other times, the paths branch off so widely that one could swear the people and places in both paths had never been the same, had never been the exact same atoms and molecules until one choice or one chance event split them apart and sent them off on their separate ways._

_The universe diverges constantly; it has diverged infinite times in the past, and will diverge infinite times in the future. It diverges right here and right now, and also diverged a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away…_

* * *

**One  
**(A New Hope)

The halls of _Tantive IV _were normally pristine and white, simple but elegant, typical of Alderaanian design. Except for the occasional console or instrument readout, stark black or red against the white paneling of the walls, the hallways were virtually spotless.

Not so today. Today, ugly black burns dotted the formerly pristine white walls, left by the blasters of Imperial Stormtroopers as they invaded the diplomatic vessel. The corpses of the defenders had been left where they fell, checked only to make sure they were dead before the Imperial troops moved on to secure the rest of the vessel.

Trooper TK-421, also known as Tyraj Kolos, waited at attention beside a half-dozen of his fellow stormtroopers, nervously anticipating the arrival of Lord Vader, who was coming to check the captured vessel himself. As Commander-In-Chief of the Imperial military, Lord Vader preferred to take an active role in ruling his empire, leaving the bureaucracy to those more inclined to it.

Heavy footsteps announced Lord Vader's coming, and Tyraj made a valiant attempt to straighten even further, the rifle he held across his chest clicking against his breastplate as he moved.

Within his protective white shell of armor, Tyraj moved only his eyes as Sith Master Darth Vader strode onto _Tantive IV_. Tall and broad-shouldered, Vader filled out a slightly more decorative version of a standard black Imperial officer's uniform quite impressively, looking every centimeter a grown-up version of the hero he'd been in his youth. The man that had once been known as Anakin Skywalker was the perfect example of Imperial standards and discipline; his black uniform was free of wrinkles, every crease stiff and sharp, every buckle polished and gleaming, his short dark blond hair precisely combed straight back from his forehead.

Vader's cold blue eyes swept over the bodies of the Rebels with a passive, vaguely disgusted expression, and his gaze briefly met Tyraj's before he moved on, his long, wide cloak fanning out behind him from the speed of his stride.

TK-421 hurried to match his commander's pace, trying to hide his excitement at being here. He'd only recently been selected for the 501st, and was doing his best to live up to the incredible honor of being one of the troopers under the direct command of the Emperor himself. Lord Vader despised weakness and incompetence, so to be chosen to be part of his personal legion said something impressive about each member of the 501st.

If Vader could sense Tyraj's thoughts - as he was rumored to be able - he didn't show it, paying no attention to the stormtroopers marching in step behind him. He moved with single-minded determination down the hallway of _Tantive IV_, only the back of his head and the top of his high collar visible above his cloak. Tyraj could practically _feel_ the intensity of the Sith Master's ice-blue gaze boring into the target ahead of them, a petite, dark-haired young woman dressed in white, flanked by four more 501st troopers and a black-uniformed officer.

Lord Vader's irritation was almost palpable, and quite understandable, since only the most serious of matters could draw the attention of the Emperor himself. Tyraj did his best to seem intimidating, knowing he could never match up to the imposing figure of his commander; he could at least reinforce Lord Vader if nothing else.

"Where are they?" Vader demanded of the young woman, arms crossing over his chest as he came to a stop in front of her.

"I'm afraid I don't know what you mean, Your Majesty," replied Princess Leia Organa, Senator for Alderaan. Her expression was somehow both respectful and haughty at once; she appeared to be insulted that her ship had been stopped and boarded by Imperial troops, yet wary of the Emperor's infamous temper. "We are nevertheless honored by your presence."

Vader stiffened, his expression hardening. "Do not lie to me, Princess," he said threateningly. "I know they are aboard your ship."

Tyraj sneered at Organa beneath his helmet for trying to deceive the Emperor himself. The nerve!

"Every person aboard this vessel aside from you and your troops is either a part of the crew or a member of my team, my lord," Organa said calmly. "We have no unauthorized passengers."

Lord Vader clasped his hands behind his back beneath his cloak. "Of that, Your Highness," he said sardonically, "I have no doubt." He raised a gloved hand to point at her. "Given your family's barely concealed sympathy for the Rebellion, the fugitives are certainly welcome on your ship."

The Sith Master took three steps closer, then crossed his arms again. "I will give you one more chance," he said gravely, staring balefully down at Organa. "If you do not tell me where you are hiding the fugitives, I will destroy your ship and everyone on it."

TK-421 grinned smugly behind his helmet. He felt doubly proud that he would be here at this, the completion of the quest that had absorbed Lord Vader for the last twenty years. Princess Leia was hiding on her ship the last known Jedi, the last pathetic remnants of the Order Lord Vader himself had once been a part of, before he discovered their true nature and destroyed them. Tyraj knew he would achieve great prestige for just having been a part of this mission.

Organa kept her calm - an impressive trait under the withering glare of Lord Vader, Tyraj thought. "With all due respect, my lord," she said, "I am afraid you may be mistaken. I harbor no fugitives. I am a loyal member of the Imperial Senate, and I-"

"You are part of the Rebel Alliance and a traitor!" Lord Vader snapped, interrupting. He turned to look back at the trooper on his other side, gesturing contemptuously with one hand. "Take her away."

"Yes, sir," the trooper said, his voice filtered through his helmet. He and the four troopers who had been with Organa formed a circle around her and marched her back in the direction of the hatch. Tyraj watched out of the corner of his eye, noting that Organa's regal bearing did not waver a millimeter as she was led away.

He glanced back ahead to see Lord Vader looking directly at him. Tyraj consciously willed himself not to flinch, chagrined at having broken discipline, if only slightly.

"Come with me," the Sith Master said, either not noticing Tyraj's indiscretion or simply not caring. "You other men, fan out and begin a thorough search for those Jedi. They'll not escape us."

The other troopers saluted smartly and moved off to begin their search. Tyraj fell into step behind and to the left of his commander as Lord Vader set off down the hallway again. The black-uniformed officer accompanied them for a short way.

"My lord, holding her could be dangerous," the officer ventured. "She is well-liked in the Senate. If word of her capture gets out, it could generate sympathy for the Rebellion."

"Nevertheless, she is my only link to the Rebellion," Lord Vader replied. "She knows the location of their secret base."

The officer pursed his lips and shook his head slightly, perhaps a bit sympathetically, as he considered the princess. "She'll die before she'll tell you anything," he said. "My lord," he hastily added.

Vader turned upon him a slight, sinister smile. "Leave that to me."

The officer nodded once, then held a hand to his ear as information was relayed to him through his earpiece. "Preliminary scan reveals no additional life-forms," he said. "Our troops and a few remaining prisoners are the only beings aboard this vessel."

"Were any escape pods jettisoned during the fighting?" Lord Vader asked.

The officer nodded, consulting a datapad. "One, though scanners revealed there were no life-forms aboard. That section was damaged during the boarding action; it was likely a short-circuit."

Lord Vader seemed about to say something, then stopped, a thoughtful expression crossing his features. "Yes," he said distractedly. "Ignore the pod; it is of no importance. The Jedi are still onboard." He pointed back down the hallway. "Seal off all exits and secure any remaining escape pods." He met the officer's eyes. "Tell the men not to engage if they see them. Keep the Jedi away from the exits, and drive them toward my position; I will deal with them myself."

"Yes, sir," the officer said, saluting quickly before moving off.

Lord Vader resumed walking down the hallway, gesturing for TK-421 to follow him. They walked in silence for several minutes, both men on the lookout for the fugitive Jedi.

"In some ways, this is worse than the Clone Wars," Vader remarked, glancing over his shoulder at Tyraj. "At least then, the enemy wasn't spreading propaganda."

Tyraj nodded sharply. He'd seen a few of the pirate holo-transmissions himself, crudely faked security recordings of Lord Vader cutting down a roomful of children in the old Jedi Temple, with the superscription, "By Any Means Necessary" in bold letters. As if the noble leader of the Empire would stoop to killing children! The very preposterousness of the idea was enough to make the stormtrooper hate the Rebels that much more. Couldn't they come up with something a little more credible?

"Have you ever fought a Jedi, trooper?" Lord Vader asked, turning to walk through a nearby door.

Tyraj followed him through, into another long white hallway. "I have not, sir," TK-421 answered. "But I'm hoping to have the pleasure today," he said, holding up his blaster rifle for emphasis.

A shadow of a smile flickered across Vader's face for a moment. "You may yet, trooper," he said, an expression of suspicious concentration slowly coming over his face.

As Tyraj watched, the lightsaber hanging from the Sith Master's belt suddenly leaped into its owner's hand. Vader's eyes flicked toward a door two meters away, and he ignited the lightsaber, sending a meter-long beam of scarlet energy stabbing into the wall next to the door. The overload of energy fused the controls of the door, effectively sealing it shut.

TK-421 brought his blaster rifle up into firing position, knowing their targets were nearby. He would of course let Lord Vader handle the Jedi, but, he thought, if he could get a lucky shot in, he might actually be able to earn Vader's respect.

With a hiss of sparks, a blue blade erupted from the wall on the other side of the door and cut in a quick rectangle. As Lord Vader pulled his saber out of the wall, the wielder of the blue lightsaber kicked the section of wall into the hallway and sprang out of the shielded compartment, leaping at the Emperor with uncanny accuracy.

Vader met the Jedi with his own saber, his long cloak swirling about him as he surged forward, slashing repeatedly. The Jedi, a forty-ish human man about Lord Vader's age with long dark hair, narrowed his green eyes as he and the Sith Master locked blades. The glowing, humming beams of energy formed an X between the two men.

"Traitor," the Jedi grunted, his teeth gritted with effort as he attempted to push the taller Vader back.

Vader said nothing, his face an expressionless mask. He did not even show effort as he shifted his feet for greater stability, muscles flexing beneath the sleeves of his uniform. Slowly, he forced the crossed lightsabers back towards the Jedi, who redoubled his efforts, groaning with exertion.

Suddenly, Lord Vader stepped aside, pushing the now-unbalanced Jedi's lightsaber into the wall with his own. He lashed out with a booted foot and caught the Jedi in the stomach, knocking him away.

The Jedi rose with an agile spin, bringing his lightsaber up to guard against Lord Vader's heavy overhand slash, but in the next second Vader twisted his scarlet blade around the Jedi's and neatly impaled him through the heart. The Jedi slumped silently to the deck, but Vader was already busy with another of the traitorous mystics, a young man who jumped out of the hole in the corridor wall.

This one had short blond hair and wielded a green blade. He was much younger than the first Jedi, probably a student. It sickened Tyraj that these mystics were still able to convert new recruits to their perverted magics, but he reminded himself that Lord Vader had once been a Jedi, before he saw the truth.

Vader made no sound, issued no words of challenge or threat; he simply moved into a guard stance against this new Jedi, who was perhaps half his age. The younger Jedi looked down at his fallen master with a sorrowful, then outraged expression. He brought his lightsaber up, glaring at Lord Vader.

The Emperor slowly circled around to the left, and as he moved, Tyraj watched his facial expression move from impassive to slightly inviting, his cold blue eyes locked on those of his opponent.

"You are powerful, young one," Vader said. "More powerful than your master. He was holding you back; I can sense it. You are ready for so much more."

The young Jedi said nothing, keeping his lightsaber carefully in position as he and the Sith Master circled one another.

"Come with me," Vader invited. "Let me show you the way the Force is meant to be used. You would make a very powerful Sith."

"Keep your teachings to yourself, traitor," the young Jedi spat, unable to resist responding. "You disgust me."

Vader shrugged, smiling slightly. "Your choice," he said casually.

In the next instant, he took one hand off his weapon and unleashed a powerful torrent of crackling blue lightning from his fingertips. The young Jedi caught it on his lightsaber and held it back, effort wracking his features.

Still pouring lightning from his fingers, Lord Vader advanced and slashed horizontally. The young Jedi moved to intercept the Dark Lord's ruby blade, and in so doing left himself open for another burst of lightning. The force of the impact hurled the young Jedi against the wall, and before he could get up, Vader stabbed him cleanly through the heart, just as he had the master.

The Sith Master turned to look at the first body. He leaned down to pick up the fallen Jedi Knight's lightsaber, and in so doing, revealed to Tyraj that another form stood behind him in the hole the first Jedi had cut through the wall.

"Sir, look out!" Tyraj said, bringing up his blaster rifle and firing even as he spoke.

The third Jedi, this one a young woman with short dark hair wielding a blue blade, brought up her weapon and deflected Tyraj's blaster bolt back at him. The trooper tried to dodge out of the way, but the searing lance of plasma hit him in the shoulder, at the place where his breastplate and shoulder pauldron met. He stumbled back against the wall, willing himself not to cry out.

Through the pain-induced fog, Tyraj thought the young woman's face seemed oddly familiar to him, and he wondered where he could have seen her before.

Meanwhile, Lord Vader ignited his lightsaber again and exchanged a quick series of strikes with the female Jedi, their blades crashing together at least seven or eight times within the span of only a second. Her dark eyes burned with fury at seeing her comrades slain on the floor, and Vader actually smiled at this.

"That's it," he told the young woman. "Use your anger. Your emotions make you stronger."

Unlike the other two, the female Jedi said nothing, struggling to keep her calm as Vader pressed his advantage. He forced her back, making her leap over the body of her fellow student to avoid tripping. Surprising both Vader and Tyraj, she spread her fingers and called the other young Jedi's lightsaber into her hand with the Force, igniting it as soon as the hilt touched her palm.

Breathing deeply, the female Jedi whirled her sabers through a complicated pattern of strikes, actually forcing Lord Vader to take a step back under the fury of her assault. Smiling grimly, Vader moved his lightsaber into the exact positions necessary to deflect the strikes of both glowing blades wielded by his opponent, not seeming even slightly at a disadvantage.

Tyraj could only watch the battle, and much as he would have liked to have aided his commander in the fight, he could not. The Jedi's deflected bolt had struck him in his dominant arm, and he was having trouble focusing over the searing pain in his shoulder.

Quickly, Lord Vader leaped in a sudden somersault right over the female Jedi's head, moving with superhuman speed and agility. The young woman whipped her green blade around to deflect his first strike as she spun to meet him, then crossed her blades to hold back a powerful two-handed overhand slice. This proved to be a mistake, as Lord Vader pressed down with his greater height and strength, forcing the Jedi to hold her position to keep his scarlet blade away from her neck.

Finally, Tyraj succeeded in grabbing his blaster with his good arm. Trying to block out the pain, he raised the blaster rifle to point at the Jedi's back, drawing Lord Vader's attention.

The Sith Master nodded slightly, pushing forward suddenly. The Jedi redoubled her efforts to keep Lord Vader away, and thus left herself wide open for Tyraj's shot. TK-421's thoughts locked into the precise patterns drilled into him at the academy, and he sighted down the barrel momentarily before squeezing the trigger.

With Lord Vader holding her attention from the front, the Jedi had no chance. The blaster bolt struck true, and her lightsabers dropped from suddenly nerveless fingers as she slumped to the deck. Vader deactivated his own saber, and the ruby blade withdrew into the black hilt in his gloved fist.

At an idle gesture, the other three lightsabers in the hallway flew into the Sith Master's hand, and he tucked them into his belt beneath his cloak as he moved toward Tyraj. He clipped his own lightsaber to his belt as he stopped before the injured stormtrooper, and he looked down at Tyraj with a concerned expression.

"Your actions were commendable, trooper," he said, a hint of respect in his tone. "I will see to it you are rewarded. Do you require medical assistance?"

TK-421 shook his helmeted head, gritting his teeth against the pain as he slowly dragged himself to his feet. "No, sir!" he said, attempting to ignore his burning shoulder.

"Go back to the _Executor_ and get that wound looked at," Lord Vader said. "I can finish searching this section myself. I doubt there are any more Jedi aboard, but if there are, I can handle them."

"No doubt, sir," Tyraj said, gesturing with his blaster at the three Jedi lying around them.

Vader's mouth quirked in an almost-smirk as he nodded once and moved off, his cloak billowing out behind him. Tyraj watched him go, pride swelling in his heart to serve with such a man. Pressing a gloved hand to his shoulder, the wounded trooper set off back in the direction of the boarding hatch.

* * *

"He's here. We must be cautious."

Luke Skywalker nodded, looking over at his Jedi Master. Obi-Wan Kenobi glanced over at his student with a grave expression, hands folded within the sleeves of his brown robe. The desolate, rocky landscape of Tatooine spread out around them, a cloudless blue sky above showing the orbiting starships in stark detail.

"Can he sense us from that far up?" Luke asked, gesturing to the menacing, dagger-like shape of the _Executor_, Darth Vader's flagship. It was tiny, barely visible from here, but to be readily recognizable as a Star Destroyer even at altitude, it had to be massive indeed.

"Darth Vader is a Sith Master," Obi-Wan replied, "and the most powerful Force-Sensitive ever to have existed. We will be very fortunate indeed if he does not already know we are here."

The younger Jedi nodded gravely, reaching up to brush some of his sandy blond hair out of his eyes. To maintain their disguise, Luke's hair was not cut in the traditional Padawan style, one of the many breaks from tradition in his training. Obi-Wan had attempted to train Luke as best he could in the ways of the destroyed Jedi Order, but he had had to sacrifice some things out of necessity.

Off in the distance, the Tusken Raiders could be heard howling at each other. It was unlikely the Sand People knew the two Jedi were here, but Obi-Wan saw Luke's hand moving closer to his lightsaber anyway, in preparation.

"Patience," Obi-Wan said, his expression still serious beneath his silver beard. "Do not draw upon the Force, Luke, or he will sense it."

"I wish you'd been able to kill him, Master," Luke said, looking back up at the _Executor_. "The galaxy would be a better place."

"If Anakin had died at Mustafar," Obi-Wan reminded his apprentice, "Palpatine would be the Emperor, not him. Vader is a tyrant, but his evil does not even approach the level of his Sith Master. The galaxy would be a much darker place under the fist of Palpatine, I assure you."

"It's hard to imagine," Luke said bitterly.

Obi-Wan laid a gentle hand on the boy's shoulder. "I know it is difficult for you," he said. "But Anakin was once a good man. Palpatine twisted him into what he is now. Even in the throes of the Dark Side, Anakin still holds himself to a standard of justice, perverted though it may be. He is at least not cruel for cruelty's sake. It took me a long time to see the depth of Palpatine's schemes, but I know enough about him to know that Anakin makes a better Emperor than his master would have."

Luke's expression hardened. "Anakin Skywalker died in the Purges. That monster just happens to have his face."

Obi-Wan frowned. They'd had this discussion before, and while it disturbed him that Luke was so willing to consider his father an enemy, he supposed it did make things easier. Only Luke was strong enough with the Force to challenge the Emperor.

He'd meant to hide Luke's parentage from the boy, to spare him the suffering of having to challenge his own father, but since Darth Vader was quite obviously Anakin Skywalker, his face the most famous in the galaxy, there was no keeping this from Luke. He'd sensed that Obi-Wan was hiding something from him the first time he'd questioned the Jedi Master about where he'd come from, and Obi-Wan had not been able to bring himself to lie to the boy, no matter how terrible the truth.

So, since there was no other alternative, and because Luke had insisted on it, he'd begun training the boy in the ways of the Jedi, doing his best to keep the two of them from attracting Vader's attention. Since the Sith Master was busy ruling his empire and hunting down the other remaining Jedi, they'd managed to escape his notice for at least this long. This was the closest they'd ever been to the Sith Master in all that time, however, and Obi-Wan feared that his former student would be able to sense them, anyway.

Obi-Wan looked over at the boy, seeing Anakin in his face, his stance, even hearing him in Luke's voice. But he also saw the boy's mother, especially when Luke was thoughtful or happy.

He patted his apprentice's shoulder comfortingly. "Your mother thought there was still good in him, Luke," Obi-Wan said.

Luke frowned, shifting uncomfortably. "Can we not talk about this, Ben?"

Obi-Wan nodded. "Very well," he said. "Perhaps we can discuss that instead." He pointed at a trail of fire streaking across the sky.

Luke brought up a set of macrobinoculars, peering at the leading edge of the streak of flame. "I'd say it's an escape pod, Master," he said, pointing at it himself. "It looks like it's going to land a few kilometers from here." He lowered the binoculars and looked over at his teacher. "Should we go check it out?"

The Jedi Master nodded. "Let's go."

* * *

"You couldn't have picked a worse spot to land if you'd been trying, could you?"

The blue and white barrel-shaped astromech R2-D2 issued an indignant series of bleeps and twitters at his companion, a golden human-shaped droid whose designation was C-3PO.

"I most certainly could have done better, if I'd had the programming to operate these sorts of things," C-3PO said, gesturing behind the two droids at the wreckage of their escape pod. Around them on all sides was a seemingly endless expanse of sand, which harshly reflected the light of the double suns back at them from a clear blue sky.

Artoo bleeped an insulting series of phrases back at him.

Threepio responded by kicking Artoo as hard as his servomotors could manage, a rather useless gesture considering he was only a protocol droid. "You take that back!" he exclaimed in his tinny, prissy voice. "I'll not tolerate that sort of language from you!"

Artoo swiveled his domed head back and forth, looking past his companion to an approaching object. He tweeted a half-hearted apology, indicating the object to Threepio.

The golden droid turned to look, leaning forward as if that would help him get a better view. "Whatever it is, it's approaching quite rapidly," he said. He looked down at Artoo. "I do hope it isn't hostile."

Artoo bleeped sarcastically.

"Don't be ridiculous," Threepio responded. "There aren't any predators here that eat droids." He looked back down at Artoo nervously. "Are there?"

The astromech burbled with electronic laughter as he focused his sensors on the approaching object, which now reflected the sun from something metal or transparisteel, making it likely a transport of some kind. He indicated this to Threepio.

"Oh, thank the Maker!" Threepio exclaimed. "We're saved!" He began waving his arms at the oncoming vehicle. "Help! Help!" he shouted, boosting the volume of his voice. "Over here!"

Moving rapidly over the sand, a landspeeder suddenly swerved to a halt only meters from the two droids, spinning a full ninety degrees from its original heading as it came to a stop. The driver was a young human male, dressed in simple tan and white clothes of the kind worn by most Tatooine settlers, a style Artoo recognized from his last visit to this planet more than twenty years ago. Another thing the droid recognized was the chrome-plated lightsaber hanging from the young man's belt, which flashed in the sun as he climbed out of the speeder.

Behind him came an older human man, wearing the same kind of clothing but in a looser style, a long brown robe over his clothes. A lightsaber hung from his belt, as well. If droids could be startled, R2-D2 was at that moment, as he recognized the older man. As the older man said something in an admonishing tone to the younger human, Artoo suddenly launched into an excited series of twitters and beeps, rocking back and forth on his stumpy legs.

"Calm down, Artoo," Threepio said, turning to his counterpart. "What are you talking about?"

Artoo bleeped excitedly, swiveling his dome between Threepio and the humans.

Threepio looked down at him incredulously. "How could you possibly recognize either of these men? We've never been to this planet before!"

"Hello there," the older human said politely. "What seems to be the trouble?"

"Thank you for stopping, sir," Threepio said. "My counterpart and I crashed onto this planet, and we feared we might never be rescued."

Artoo paused in his excitement to burble ridicule at his companion.

Threepio waved at Artoo to be quiet. "It doesn't matter how long we were here!" he snapped. "We're saved!"

"We saw your pod crash," the younger human said. "I'm Luke, and this is Ben."

Threepio shifted a few steps closer to the two humans through the sand. "A pleasure to make your acquaintance, Master Luke," the protocol droid said. "We are very grateful to you."

Artoo whistled excitedly at the older human.

"Oh, be quiet, Artoo," Threepio said. "He said his name was Ben, not 'Obi-Wan'. Enough of your nonsense." He turned back to the two humans. "I'm sorry for my companion. His circuits have been cooked by the suns, I'm afraid."

Artoo indignantly hooted that Threepio was the one with cooked circuits before he waddled closer on his stumpy legs through the slippery sand.

He could tell Obi-Wan recognized him now, and the younger human, Luke, peered curiously at him from beside the older man.

"How does this droid know you, Master?" he asked, hooking his thumbs in his pockets.

Obi-Wan stroked his silver beard thoughtfully. "We'll take them back to the house," he said. "We shall learn more there."

* * *

Darth Vader stalked angrily through the corridors of the _Executor_, irritated that Kenobi had not been among the Jedi hiding aboard the _Tantive IV_. He'd been hoping to destroy his old master today, the man who'd taken everything from him. His quest was not over until Obi-Wan died at his hand.

Vader glared a low-ranking officer out of his way, shoving him aside with the Force when he didn't move fast enough. He didn't stop until he was finally in his quarters, the only permanent home he maintained.

Once inside, Vader withdrew the three lightsabers he'd collected today and added them to the collection adorning one entire wall of the main room, a wide, square chamber decorated mainly in black. Dozens of lightsabers already sat in hooks on the wall, dating all the way back to Dooku's, though there was room for several more.

Especially one, he thought to himself. He stripped the glove off his natural hand and ran his fingers through his military-short hair, remembering a time when he'd worn it long and tousled.

He was just a boy then_,_ he thought. Young and stupid.

He angrily pushed aside the memories that tried to surface along with those thoughts. Scowling, he sat down in the large throne-like chair that dominated the opposite wall from his lightsaber collection and stared at the three newest acquisitions.

The two men were dead, but the young woman had somehow managed to survive the blaster shot that had dropped her. Sensing her potential, Vader had ordered her to be treated in the infirmary and kept heavily sedated until such time as he could begin her training. It would take time to purge her Jedi training, but someone of her talents could be a great asset.

Suddenly, Vader's private comm beeped in a distinctive pattern. Only one person had this particular access code, so the Sith Master instantly knew who was calling him. He touched the key to accept the transmission, not even waiting for the hologram to finish forming before he spoke."What is it, Lord Nova?"

Slowly, a human shape flickered into view, cast a bluish shade by the holoprojector. A human man in his late twenties soon became discernible, his dark hair shorn close to his skull, his eyes piercing even through the distortion of the transmission. His clothes were tight-fitting and dark, and a lightsaber hung from his belt.

As soon as his image was clear, the man bowed, dropping to one knee. _"I have news, my Master,_" he said, looking up to meet Vader's gaze.

"Rise," Vader said. "I sense you have had a victory."

Darth Nova nodded, crossing his arms as he stood. _"I have, Master. The target you assigned me is dead - as are all witnesses."_

"Well done, my apprentice," Vader said. "Return to Coruscant and make sure the bureaucrats are doing as they should. I will be a few more days on my own mission."

Nova nodded once. _"Did you find Organa, Master?"_ he asked.

Vader also nodded once. "She was indeed harboring Jedi, as your intelligence indicated. I killed two of them, and may be able to convert the third."

Nova smiled grimly. "_Very good, my Master. I will report again when I reach Coruscant._"

Vader inclined his head in acknowledgment, then cut the transmission. Then, with an adjustment to the controls, he called the _Executor_'s bridge and ordered the massive ship to set course for Alderaan. The Organas had been a thorn in his side long enough. Perhaps a demonstration was in order…

* * *

Leia Organa glared at the Imperial medic as he none-too-gently shoved a needle in her arm and collected a blood sample.

"What are you doing," she demanded, "making sure I'm good and healthy before you kill me?"

"What Lord Vader does with you is his business," the white-coated medic said. "Your health is mine." He looked down his rather large nose at her. "I am simply checking your blood for infections."

Leia arched an eyebrow at the way he said 'infections', as if somehow being a suspected Rebel was a disease. As the medic applied a small bandage to her arm where he had jabbed it with the needle, Leia looked around the rest of the infirmary.

On the other side of the long, clinical green room sat a stormtrooper being treated for a blaster wound in his shoulder. He'd removed his chest armor, and his helmet sat at the foot of the bed, looking like some kind of insectoid skull. His dark eyes glared at her, as if he was offended to be treated in the same infirmary as a Rebel. The harsh fluorescent glowpanels reflected off his short dark hair, which he'd slicked back with some kind of oil.

Typical Imperial jarhead, Leia thought sourly, glaring right back. He probably thought his 'fearless leader' was just as much a hero now as he was in the Clone Wars, and obediently filed any and all atrocities under 'any means necessary for the glory of the Empire' like the rest of the fools in this galaxy.

And no wonder, she thought, spotting a propaganda poster on the wall near the trooper's cot. The poster depicted Vader at perhaps her own age, leading armored clone troopers up a hill on an alien world, lightsaber held high as he charged toward a group of battle droids. However, despite the poster's apparent Clone Wars setting, the illustrated young Vader wore a black uniform, had short hair, and wielded a red lightsaber. At the bottom, in bright red letters, were the words, 'As it was then, so it is now. Serve With Honor!'

Leia's lip curled with disgust. Honor had died with the Republic; Anakin Skywalker had killed it, like so many other things, the day he became Darth Vader.

The princess watched as the medic ran her blood sample through one of his beeping machines, then looked past him to the far end of the infirmary, where a young woman lay shackled to a bed on her stomach, a large bacta patch on her back. Her head was turned away, but Leia recognized one of the Jedi who'd been aboard her ship. She thought a silent apology at the young woman, sorry she'd been unable to keep her out of the Empire's clutches.

Hopefully, Artoo and Threepio had landed safely and would soon find the old Jedi general on the planet below, keeping this day from being a _complete_ disaster.

Leia glanced over at the stormtrooper to see that he was still glaring turbolasers at her, and she thought something at him that would have made her mother blush. Knowing Imperial troops, he was probably thinking a variation of the same thing back at her.

The medic punched a final series of buttons on his console and withdrew the vial of blood. He dropped it into a medical waste container as if disposing of a dead rodent, glancing at her momentarily before gesturing to the stormtroopers who stood guard on her other side. "Take her to her cell," he said.

Leia stood before the trooper could grab her arm, glaring at him haughtily. As if she was going to let some Imperial grunt push her around! She allowed the trooper's companion to lock the cuffs back around her wrists and indignantly marched off, making the stormtroopers have to jog to keep up with her.

She smiled inwardly at her show of defiance. The battle might be lost, but not the war.

* * *

"Now, what's this about a message?" Obi-Wan asked the shorter of the two droids. The four of them sat in the main room of the old Jedi Master's humble abode in the Jundland Wastes, the bright light of the dual suns filtering in through the shades and scattering small beams of light throughout the well-worn room.

Luke sat on one of the chairs next to the protocol droid, who silently watched as his counterpart trundled up to a low table and leaned over to project a bluish holographic beam onto the flat surface.

An image of a beautiful young woman about Luke's age appeared on the table, dressed in a long white gown with her dark hair pulled up in two elaborate braids on either side of her head. Luke thought momentarily that she seemed somewhat familiar to him, but he couldn't remember ever meeting her.

"_General Kenobi_," the image began, "_years ago you served the Old Republic and my father in the Clone Wars. Now we have need of your help again. I came to Tatooine to bring you out of your exile, but unfortunately, Lord Vader's flagship has captured my vessel and my mission has failed._"

The young woman paused, looking somewhere off-camera before continuing. "_Vader will board my vessel soon, and I fear he will take me prisoner and hunt down the Jedi I hoped to keep away from him._" She straightened, looking at the camera with a pleading expression. "_Please, use the information contained in this Artoo unit to find your way to the rest of the Rebellion. We need your leadership now more than ever. Help us, Obi-Wan Kenobi. You are our only hope._"

The sound of a blaster shot rang out from the image, and the young woman hastily leaned down and manipulated something out of sight. "_Go, Artoo!_" she said urgently, and the message ended suddenly.

"Who is she?" Luke asked, leaning forward with a concerned expression.

"She is Princess Leia Organa of the Royal Family of Alderaan," C-3PO recited. "She sent us here, or more precisely, she sent Artoo, since I knew nothing of all this."

Obi-Wan frowned thoughtfully beneath his beard, his thoughts unreadable. He reached up and stroked the lower edge of his silver whiskers as he stared at the space where Princess Leia's image had been moments before.

"Well, what are we waiting for?" Luke demanded of his master. "We have to go help her!" He gestured vaguely upwards, the direction of space. "If Vader finds out she's a member of the Rebellion, he'll kill her!"

The Jedi Master nodded slowly. "I agree. But, we must think this through first. We cannot simply fly up to the Dark Lord's flagship and storm our way through to the detention area; his vessel is far too secure."

Luke leaned against the rough stone wall and drummed his fingers against it impatiently. "Well, there must be _something _we can do," he said, trying to think of something, anything they could do to help Leia. He'd never met her, and yet, he felt some sort of connection to the young woman. Perhaps the Force was telling him she was important.

"We will go to Alderaan," Obi-Wan said finally. "Vader will bring her there so that he can make an example of her and her family. He knows that support for the Rebellion is growing, and he will try to head it off by showing what happens to those who go against him." He stood, his expression grave. "He'll declare them traitors and then formally strip them of their titles before publicly executing the entire Royal Family."

"How are we going to get to Alderaan?" Luke asked thoughtfully. "We don't even have a ship!"

Obi-Wan smiled in that slightly mischievous way of his. "That, young Luke," he said, "is a problem quickly solved. Mos Eisley spaceport will have one that will suit our needs, and a pilot to match."

Luke cocked a playful eyebrow. "The 'wretched hive of scum and villainy'?" he asked teasingly. "I thought you hated going there."

The Jedi Master smiled wryly. "Fortunately, this will make the last time." He turned and picked up his robe from where it lay on the back of his chair. "Gather your things, Luke," he said, shrugging into his robe. "We are leaving this planet behind us."

Luke headed off to his room. "Good riddance."

* * *

-/\\-


	2. I,2: Divergence

-/\\-

* * *

**Two**  
(Divergence)

_Nineteen years ago_…

"It's over, Anakin. I have the high ground."

Obi-Wan Kenobi looked down at his former apprentice, a man he'd once called friend and brother. Where once he'd seen loyalty and friendship, he now saw only hatred in Anakin's fierce blue eyes, glaring up at him from the Sith Lord's perch atop a hovering platform in the midst of a river of fire.

Smoke shrouded the sky over the hellish world of Mustafar, spewed there from the multitudinous volcanoes that dotted the small world's surface. The smoky clouds were so thick that they blocked out the light from the system's sun, and the two men were lit only by their weapons and the molten rock flowing past them.

Darth Vader hefted his lightsaber, the same glowing blue blade he'd wielded countless times alongside his former friend and master. But never against him.

Never before today.

"You underestimate my power," the Sith snarled, glaring murderously up at Obi-Wan.

Obi-Wan looked down at Anakin, his expression almost pleading. "Don't try it," he said, resignation in his tone.

He didn't want to kill Anakin, even hurt him, but he knew it had to be done. With Palpatine in control of the galaxy, Anakin was simply too powerful to let him live as a Sith Lord. Palpatine could cast the entire galaxy under a permanent pall of darkness with Anakin at his side.

Shouting furiously, Vader exploded into movement, leaping up in a Force-assisted jump that sent him somersaulting up the steep rocky hill, his trajectory angling over Obi-Wan's head. Obi-Wan saw him coming, prepared, then slashed with his lightsaber…

And _missed_.

Vader came down on the rocky hill above Obi-Wan, whirling his lightsaber through a blisteringly fast series of strikes. The Jedi Master, exhausted from the long duel, moved his own shining blue blade in a defensive pattern, turning the Sith Lord's strikes aside.

Finally, Vader's boot slipped in some loose dirt, causing him to pause his attack for just a moment, and Obi-Wan took his chance. He did something he'd never done in a lightsaber duel before: he ran.

Obi-Wan jumped up the hill in a Force-leap of his own, putting six meters between himself and Anakin. His boots slipping in the loose, rocky dirt, the Jedi Master scrambled away from his opponent, sensing him in hot pursuit just behind. He knew he could not win this battle now. To continue fighting Anakin here would mean only death; Anakin was simply too powerful. His one chance to stop his former pupil had somehow gone wrong, and now Anakin had regained his footing, fueled by the Dark Side as he chased after his old master.

Leaping across a three-meter-wide stream of lava, Obi-Wan hurled a loose rock at Vader with the Force, continuing on with his sprint. Vader smashed the rock aside with his lightsaber and somersaulted over the lava stream, brandishing his weapon as he picked up speed.

Obi-Wan increased speed as well, ignoring the protestations of his overworked muscles. His only chance now was to get Padmé and the child away from Anakin, away from the Sith he'd become. The prospect of a child with Anakin's power being raised by Sith was too terrible to imagine.

The Jedi Master dodged a rock which careened past his head, then another and another, forcing him to leap ever more acrobatically to avoid the missiles Vader hurled at him as he strained to catch up.

_There!_ Obi-Wan spotted a familiar-looking tower. Apparently, he and Vader had fought in a large circle, since he recognized the tower near the landing pad where they'd left Padmé and the starships. Gathering the Force, Obi-Wan shoved a large portion of the path behind him into one of the many running streams of lava.

The gap created was too wide even for Vader to attempt, and so Obi-Wan gained precious seconds as the Sith Lord was forced to find an alternate route. Sprinting as fast as he dared over the treacherous terrain, Obi-Wan pushed for the landing pad, determined to arrive before Vader. He had to get Padmé away from this hellish place, somewhere where she could recover from whatever her husband had done to her.

The Jedi Master risked a glance behind to see Anakin still more than a dozen meters behind, his bright blue lightsaber making him easy to spot. Obi-Wan pushed himself harder._ Just a little farther. Just a little farther. Just a little…_

Grunting with exertion, Obi-Wan leaped the last few meters and grabbed hold of a protrusion on the side of the walkway leading to the landing pad. As soon as he had pulled himself up, he used the Force to shove over the rock from which he had leaped, creating another obstacle for Vader.

Legs and lungs burning, Obi-Wan sprinted along the walkway toward the silver spaceship that sat with hatch open and ramp lowered on the landing pad. Waiting there were C-3PO and R2-D2, Padmé's protocol droid and Anakin's astromech.

"We've already brought Mistress Padmé aboard," Threepio called to him. "Hurry, Master Obi-Wan!"

The Jedi Master intended to do just that, but suddenly, the Force screamed in alarm. He knew even without looking that Vader had somehow made it up here more quickly than he'd anticipated.

Spying Anakin's starfighter waiting next to Padmé's ship, Obi-Wan shouted ahead. "Go!" he yelled, waving urgently at the protocol droid. He knew Artoo was perfectly capable of flying Padmé's ship, so all he had to do was stall Vader long enough to take his fighter, and the Sith would be stranded here while they escaped.

Stopping suddenly, Obi-Wan spun in place, ignited his lightsaber and brought the blade up just in time to intercept a powerful overhand slash from Vader. He and the man who had once been Anakin locked eyes, and Obi-Wan saw with surprise and horror that his former student's eyes had turned from clear blue to red-rimmed yellow, showing that Anakin was now completely in the thrall of the Dark Side.

Vader screamed in inarticulate fury, swinging wildly with his lightsaber in a terrifying display of anger. The walkway actually buckled from the strength of Vader's rage, his anger manifesting itself through involuntary concussive blasts.

Obi-Wan narrowly managed to avoid being caught in Vader's spasmodic Force explosions, but he did take advantage of the damage they were doing to the walkway. Waiting for the opportune moment, Obi-Wan suddenly ducked one of Vader's swings and threw down a concussive blast of his own. Already weakened, the structural integrity of the metal walkway could not hold, and as soon as the Sith Lord stepped on the weak spot, it gave way and sent him right through with a sudden, surprised yell.

The bright spot of lava below was readily visible through the hole Vader had left, and Obi-Wan cautiously stepped forward to look, mindful that he had not sensed Vader fall in.

Vader glared hatefully up at him from the hole, holding on with both hands to a narrow metal bar that was part of the walkway's understructure as his feet swung free below him.

"I'm sorry, Anakin!" Obi-Wan called down to his former student. "I have failed you."

Vader's only reply was an angry scream that was half roar, a terrifying, almost animal sound.

"You were my brother, Anakin!" Obi-Wan called down, sorrowful. "And I loved you. I am sorry it had to come to this."

"I hate you!" Vader shrieked up at him, legs pumping as he strained to find a foothold.

Resigned, Obi-Wan took one last look at his former friend, struggling below, only a few meters above the lava stream with such hate and rage in his once-gentle eyes. Anakin was dead, he knew, consumed by Darth Vader, just as Yoda had said. It was time to let him go.

But as Obi-Wan looked down at the man who'd once been his friend, the closest thing he'd ever had to a son, he found that he could not take that final step. This... _creature_ before him, this twisted thing of the Dark Side, more than deserved death for what he'd done today, and yet... He just couldn't do it.

So, he simply turned and walked away instead, Vader's screams of rage echoing in his ears.

Trying to calm himself, Obi-Wan sat down in Anakin's starfighter and powered up the engines, closing the cockpit. With a last deep breath, he raised the fighter from the landing pad and flew off, leaving the Sith alone with his hate and fear and rage.

* * *

This is how it feels to be Anakin Skywalker right now:

You have done things, horrible things you never thought yourself capable of doing, all in the hopes of finding a way to save the one you love, the one you'd do anything to keep from suffering in any way. But now, due to your own hatred and fear and anger, you've cost yourself the one thing in all the universe that ever made you truly happy.

Flush with your own dark emotions, you've seen duplicity and betrayal in the one you love, and you've killed her for it, her and your child, the precious miracle you made with the one person who ever truly understood you, who loved you and never tried to hold you back from being who you were.

You realize, hanging helplessly above certain death, that you've put yourself in a hell of your own making. It's all your own fault, your own stupid fault for trusting that withered old man. He never loved you, never cared about you at all. You are a tool to him, nothing more; the product of a decades-long scheme and deceptions beyond number. He never cared for you in any way. All his kind words, all his little bits of wisdom, they were all lies, lies to play upon your own doubts and fears. He knew just what to say, just what to tell you to convince you that the only way to save the one you love was to join him and help him further his own greedy ends.

And now, because you trusted him, you've lost her. You have killed or alienated every friend you've ever had, and now you are all alone, hanging above a river of fire with no one to come and help you.

You are going to die.

You are going to die alone on this hellish little world, consumed by flame, a victim of your own naiveté and stupidity. If only you could do it again, you think, feeling your fingers start to lose their grip, if only you could go back and stop yourself from betraying your entire way of life for one selfish goal.

But you can't. There is no going back, no matter how much you might wish it. Time's river flows in only one direction, and you cannot fight the current, not even with all your power.

Or could you? You've been told time and again that you are the most powerful Jedi ever to live, the one with the greatest command of the Force in all of time. Are there limits to your powers? The Jedi told you so, but what do they know? They are as children before you; their powers pale in comparison to your own.

There _must _be a way to fix this. There _must_ be, you tell yourself, straining to keep your grip on the only thing keeping you from plunging to your death. The Jedi can't possibly know everything about the Force; they stayed away from its most powerful aspect. Both sides of the Force are the answer. Both the dark and the light.

You hold both within yourself; you've trained more than half your life in the light, but you've always fought the darkness, believing it to be an evil thing, a thing to be avoided. But there must be a balance, and at the balance, you'll find what you seek.

That is what you tell yourself, hoping it to be true, as you struggle not to die.

* * *

Long, interminable hours later, nearly unbearable hours full of struggle and exertion, Darth Vader finally noticed a strange sound: the unmistakable whine of spaceship engines. Over the hours, he'd managed to hoist himself up a little more, so that he was slightly closer to the top of the walkway and that much closer to survival.

A short time after the spaceship engines died down, Vader heard the rhythm of marching feet approaching him, accompanied by a dark presence in the Force he knew only too well, despite having known its true extent only briefly.

He felt his lip curl in disgust. The old man was unwilling to let his precious weapon get away, his careful investment. Vader was half tempted to let go right then just so he could deny the miserable old bastard his prize.

But no, he remembered with a slow grin, there was another way. Carefully hiding these thoughts from his master, Vader projected instead hopefulness for Palpatine to sense, relief at the sound of him approaching.

"There he is!" the withered, irritating voice said. "He's still alive."

"Master?" Vader called hopefully, keeping impenetrable shields around his inner core. "Master, help me!"

"I am here, Lord Vader!" Palpatine called back down, unwittingly standing in the exact spot another man who'd once been Vader's master had stood, long hours ago.

The helmeted heads of clone troopers appeared around Palpatine's hooded visage, and one of them lowered a cable, sending it down with typical efficiency perfectly within Vader's grasp. He seized the cable with a relief not entirely faked, holding on tight as the clones hauled him up.

Once he was back on solid metal again, Vader sprang his trap, carefully concocted and considered over hours of hanging above the molten river. A curious, clinical detachment had come over Vader during that time, wiping away all his sorrow and anger over losing Padmé, enabling him to think clearly enough to formulate his plan.

Extending a hand, Vader called his lightsaber to himself from where it had fallen. Sidious suspected nothing, looking up at the taller, younger Sith with a hideous mockery of a paternal expression.

"You are safe, Lord Vader," he said.

"You aren't," Vader replied mildly.

Sidious looked at him curiously, too trusting in his new, powerful apprentice to realize what was happening. "What are you doing?" he demanded.

Darth Vader allowed a cruel smile to play across his lips. "Following the ways of the Sith… _Master_." He hissed the last word out nastily, reveling in the sudden widening of Palpatine's reptilian yellow eyes.

Before the newly crowned Emperor could say a word, Vader raised his hand and ignited his lightsaber, sending its beam of blue light spearing through Palpatine's heart. The Dark Lord of the Sith died, having time only to regard his treacherous apprentice with a shocked expression; the master of predicting the future and manipulating the outcome truly hadn't seen this coming.

Vader yanked his lightsaber free of his _second_ former master's chest before the clone troopers could even get their rifles up. He spun in a quick circle, dropping several of them to the walkway in multiple pieces. The one remaining trooper he seized with the Force, breaking his neck quickly and tossing him aside.

He grinned maliciously to himself in satisfaction. None of them had been able to get a message off to the ship in orbit. No clones had been left behind at the shuttle; a quick probe of the Force confirmed this. Vader was alone with a pile of corpses for the second time that day. Or was it the third, or even the fourth? He'd killed so many today that he'd lost count.

Deactivating his lightsaber, Vader walked over to where he'd left the body of Emperor Palpatine. He confirmed through a careful probe of the Force that Darth Sidious was really dead, then delivered a vicious kick to the corpse's side.

"You _told_ me we'd be able to _save_ her," he snarled, delivering another kick with each stressed word. "She's _dead_, and so is our _child_, and it's because of _YOU!_" He stepped back a pace, then moved forward and kicked Palpatine's body so hard it rolled over, the shocked expression frozen on its deformed features.

Vader narrowly managed to restrain himself from igniting his lightsaber and hacking the corpse to pieces, reminding himself that he needed the old man for one last task. Fitting that he would become a tool in a masterful scheme, just as he had tried to make Vader. Perhaps the old wretch's deviousness had rubbed off on him during their rather brief collaboration.

Reaching down, Vader grabbed the corpse by the collar and dragged it behind him as he stalked toward the shuttle Palpatine in which and his guards had arrived. He tossed the all-too-briefly-reigning Emperor inside like a sack of waste, leaving him sprawled in a heap in the rear compartment as Vader made his way into the cockpit.

Pausing to arrange his features into the appropriate measure of anger and desperation - not difficult considering all that had happened to him today - Vader activated the comm, opening a channel to the warship in orbit.

"_Yes, sir?_" the clone comm officer answered, looking back at him from the small screen.

"Open the hangar!" Vader shouted into the pickup. "The Emperor's been attacked by a Jedi, and I'm bringing him back aboard! Make sure a full medical team is waiting for us!"

"_Yes, sir!_" the clone shouted back, already scrambling off to relay Vader's shocking news even before he cut the connection.

Vader yanked the controls of the shuttle up and flew like he was in a hurry for the orbiting ship, allowing the real hurt and sorrow he'd experienced today to come up to the surface while he was alone with his thoughts during the brief flight up from the planet.

He was nearly overwhelmed as the look in Padmé's eyes when he attacked her floated in front of him suddenly, that heart-wrenching look of utter hurt in those big, dark eyes, the eyes he'd fallen in love with, as if she was so shocked that the man she loved could do such a thing that she didn't quite believe it was happening.

Vader - Anakin again for just a brief moment - smashed his cybernetic arm into the console next to him, leaving a deep dent as he screamed in frustration and sorrow.

He blinked away sudden tears as he realized that he was nearing the warship. Struggling mightily to regain control of himself, Anakin felt his thoughts harden into that crystal clarity again, the wheels turning in his mind that would allow him to see his plan through to fruition. He _would_ find a way, he swore to himself. It didn't matter if it took him the rest of his life; he would find some way to get Padmé back, to undo what he'd done.

Now fully Darth Vader again, the Sith Lord careened the shuttle into the hangar and set it down haphazardly in the middle of the bay, rushing back in an artificial panic to open the shuttle.

"Quickly!" he roared at the clone medics, who scuttled in to grab Palpatine's corpse, checking him over as they slid a stretcher under the body.

They poked at the lightsaber wound, pulling the fabric of his robe away from the perfectly circular hole that extended all the way through the late Emperor's body. Murmuring to one another, they rushed the 'patient' up to the doors of the hangar, sprinting as fast as they could to the warship's infirmary.

Vader found it supremely difficult to keep a concerned expression on his face as he jogged along behind the stretcher, knowing he had to keep up the façade for his plan to have any chance of working. The pain leaking through from his swirling emotions was enough, and as the gray corridors of the ship flashed by, Vader had to grit his teeth and focus furiously on the task at hand to keep from being overwhelmed.

The next few minutes passed in a blur as the clones finally reached the infirmary and more doctors and medics rushed over to check the Emperor. Anakin saw only his wife, thinking she should be here in that old wretch's place, that these doctors might be able to do something to save her, but he knew in that moment with a dreadful certainty that she was dead. A doctor demanded that Vader tell him what had happened, and the Sith shoved him across the infirmary with bruising force, impatiently gesturing to the Emperor's body with one hand at the others.

He was rapidly losing control, and he knew he had to get out of there soon. Luckily, the clones and other personnel took it as concern for the Emperor, and left him alone.

Finally, a doctor approached. "I'm sorry, General Skywalker," he said sorrowfully. "He's gone. There's nothing we could do; he was dead before he got here."

Vader choked back a sob that had nothing whatsoever to do with the news he'd just received, pushing his emotion down beneath a thick layer of control.

"I… understand," he managed to croak out. "Give me a few minutes."

The doctor nodded sympathetically. "Of course, General."

Vader rushed out of the infirmary, in search of the first available empty room. When he found one, he ducked into it, clenched his fists at his sides, and finally let his grief out, screaming loud and long in a howl that expressed all his rage and pain, his regret and his knowledge that he could never take back what he had done. He was told later that his scream could be heard three decks away and that the entire ship shook for a full five minutes, nearly disrupting several critical systems and shattering viewports all over the warship.

Vader himself did not notice. Anakin Skywalker was too busy dying.

* * *

Light-years away, three people met to discuss what was to be done with the children that had just been born; it had turned out Padmé was carrying twins.

The two men regarded the other person, a small green alien with long, pointed ears, with equal parts exhaustion and resignation, trying to decide what to do.

The small green alien and one of the two men both felt the overwhelming anguish the man who was known as Darth Vader and Anakin Skywalker broadcasted through the Force, wincing from the almost physical pain it caused.

In the infirmary, the two newborn children felt it as well and erupted with tears next to the still body of their mother. Despite the best efforts of the trained nurses, they would not quiet down for more than three hours afterwards, wailing at a pain they did not understand.

Back in the conference room, Obi-Wan Kenobi, Grand Master Yoda, and Senator Bail Organa of Alderaan eyed each other uneasily across the table. Senator Organa had aided Yoda in escaping from Coruscant, and had picked up both Padmé's ship and Obi-Wan's starfighter with his _Tantive IV_ shortly after they had left Mustafar, narrowly avoiding detection by an incoming Imperial ship before jumping to hyperspace. He was just as much a part of this whole mess now as the two Jedi, and he knew everything about the odd situation of young Skywalker, either having learned it first-hand or figured it out from the day's events.

"What should we do?" Bail asked the two Jedi, leaning on the arm of his chair.

"Separated, they must be," said Yoda, looking over at Obi-Wan. "To keep them safe from their father and his master."

"My wife and I will take the girl," Bail offered. He shook his head slightly, the corners of his mouth quirking in a smile he didn't feel as he tried to seem reassuring to the Jedi. "We've always talked of adopting a baby girl." He looked between the two Jedi. "She will be loved with us."

"What of the boy?" Obi-Wan asked, hand supporting his chin. He looked ready to fall over from exhaustion right then and there.

"To Tatooine, to his family take him," Yoda said.

Obi-Wan nodded. "I will take the boy and watch over him," he said.

"Until the time is right," said Yoda, "disappear we will."

Bail excused himself, headed off to check their course. Obi-Wan took the opportunity to bring up something that he had been reluctant to discuss in front of the Senator.

He turned to Yoda. "We know their father survived. If we are to train the children, eventually we will have no choice but to tell them who their father is. Will they be able to handle the truth?"

"Do not lie," Yoda said. "If the boy asks, tell him you must. Only he and his sister will be powerful enough to challenge the Emperor and his servant, so make sure he will be ready."

"We should focus on training the boy?" Obi-Wan asked.

Yoda nodded. "Too dangerous, it is, to train them both at once. Allow Leia to grow up on Alderaan, we will, and contact her when the time is right. Train Luke you must, as best you can, in the meantime." The diminutive Jedi looked up at Obi-Wan. "Help you I will, when I can," he said.

Obi-Wan nodded and made to leave, but Yoda held up a three-fingered hand. "A moment, Master Kenobi," he said. "In your solitude on Tatooine, training I have for you…"

* * *

Despite the fact that the depth of Palpatine's schemes was truly horrifying to him, Vader knew that what Palpatine had set in motion could not be stopped. All he could do was to try to keep the Empire under control, which would be difficult after the radical upheaval of the last two weeks. But, for the sake of the galaxy, it had to be done.

In a burst of uncharacteristic thoughtfulness and planning, Vader had outlined his plan in greater detail while a state funeral for Palpatine was organized and carried out. He himself had marched in the funeral procession, hood up to cover the fact that he couldn't quite maintain a sorrowful expression over Sidious' death. A full company of clone troopers had marched behind him, in a grim echo of his assault on the Jedi Temple.

Now, five days after the Emperor's death, he stood in the center podium of the Galactic Senate, dressed in an all-black military uniform and cloak. He wore black leather gloves on both hands now, and his hair was combed straight back and slicked down. Around him in the expansive, dome-shaped chamber, the Senators who could be present for the emergency session sat in their seats, some of them sharing since several of the pods had been destroyed during Yoda's assassination attempt on Palpatine.

In the opening part of his speech, carefully worded by a speechwriter who had worked for Palpatine, Vader described what had happened at Mustafar. He changed the details at the end to say that Obi-Wan had been the one to kill Palpatine, unfortunately 'escaping despite my best efforts.' Since he was the only witness, the story could not be refuted, and most were willing to believe it, since Palpatine had spread a large amount of anti-Jedi propaganda during his brief reign as Emperor. Most damning was an audio recording taken from the Chancellor's office that plainly revealed that Master Windu and several others had attempted to arrest and then subsequently assassinate Palpatine before Vader had arrived to rescue him. Vader played this again during his speech, citing the Emperor's courage at resisting the Jedi plot to take over the Republic.

It sickened Vader to say it, as well as the other words in praise of the fallen Emperor he included in his speech, since he felt nothing but hatred for the old man. But, he managed to seem sincere, and while he knew he was no great orator, the message had a heavy impact from his simple wording and simmering emotion, still bubbling up despite his best efforts to keep it under control. The people didn't need to know who it was really for, so he was content to let them think he was still grief-stricken over Palpatine's death. It added sincerity to his message.

He further outlined Palpatine's 'grand efforts to bring greater stability to our troubled galaxy', explaining why the reorganization of the Republic into the Empire was necessary. There was no way to stop this, so he'd had to go along with it anyway. He also did not hide the fact that Palpatine was a Sith Lord and so was he, spending a few minutes explaining that the Jedi had spent centuries spreading propaganda and 'persecuting' his order, who were truly the masters of the Force. He quoted directly from a conversation he'd had with Palpatine on the Sith, also drawing from the numerous chronicles and Sith artifacts Palpatine had had in his possession that he'd looked over, making up sympathetic details. Vader explained that Palpatine had guided him to the true path, surprising himself with how smooth a liar he was becoming.

"And that is why," Vader said, looking directly into the HoloNet camera hovering a few meters in front of the podium, "with a heavy heart, I must take up the leadership of our glorious Empire. It is a tragedy that my master did not live to see his dream of a peaceful galaxy, but with your cooperation I will bring that dream to fruition. I will work with the Senate to make sure the transition is peaceful, and I will stick as closely as I can to Emperor Palpatine's plan to bring our civilization into a golden age. I hope I can count on your cooperation."

The Senate was quiet for several moments as its members considered what Vader had said. He was right; the Clone Wars had torn the galaxy apart, and civilization as they knew it was teetering on the precipice of total anarchy. Without a strong leader to hold the Empire together, it would quickly crumble into disorder. The criminals and slavers, always at the fringes, would be free to despoil the many rich worlds the Senate represented. With no one left to stand against them, the Mandalorians might even finally pull themselves together again and launch another conquest of the galaxy. And who knew what lurked in the depths of the Unknown Regions? Yes, this was the only way to preserve at least some semblance of the life to which they had become accustomed.

Who better to serve as a figurehead than the Hero With No Fear? Anakin Skywalker was already galactically renowned, beloved by the general public, and after the tumult of the last several weeks, months, and years, few would be unwilling to rally behind him.

A few Senators began clapping. They were soon joined by more of their fellows, then a few more, until the entire gathered Senate rose to its feet and applauded their new Emperor, the noise echoing throughout the cavernous chamber.

Vader smiled modestly, an expression he had to force. It had worked, he thought to himself. He did not know everything Palpatine had had planned for the galaxy, but, he decided, the old wretch's schemes had died with him. Now it was up to him to pick up the pieces and try to make something of all this.

As he looked around at the cheering Senate, Vader reflected bitterly that things were indeed just as he'd told Padmé that fateful day; the galaxy was his, and he could make things the way he wanted them to be.

He only wished she was here to share it with him.

* * *

Once he was back in his office - which had formerly been Palpatine's - after a long round of interviews and further speeches on what his administration planned to do, Vader finally managed to get a few minutes to himself.

He slumped into the chair behind Palpatine's massive desk, spinning it to look out at the Coruscant skyline. He deactivated the red-lined office's lights, sitting there in the darkness as he watched the traffic flow past him. All those lives were now in his hands...

After several minutes, his holocomm beeped and the image of one of Palpatine's minions - _his_ minion now, Vader thought amusedly - appeared, casting a blue glow over the office.

"What?" Vader growled before the Rodian even had a chance to speak, spinning his chair to face the desk.

_"My lord, we've received a priority message capsule delivered by a courier droid,_" the alien said in Huttese. "I_t is keyed to your voiceprint and DNA, my lord, so I do not know what it contains._" The alien bowed slightly. "_We have scanned it quite thoroughly. It contains nothing harmful._"

Vader glared at the Rodian. "Fine," he said finally. "Send it in."

A few minutes later, a Senate page showed up with the capsule in hand. It was small, about the size of a fist, and the young woman nervously made her way across the Chancellor's office with it held out in front of her, away from her body, as if she was afraid it would bite.

Vader scowled balefully at her until she dropped it on the far edge of his desk and fled as quickly as decorum allowed. He knew he hadn't really done anything to inspire such fear, but, as he caught a reflection of his expression in the desk, he paused. For a moment, he almost didn't recognize his own face; he seemed paler than he remembered, his skin tighter against his cheekbones. The scars above and below his right eye seemed to stand out more now, sharp white lines against his seemingly shadowed eyes. His black clothing, combined with the dim lighting, almost made his pale face seem disembodied, floating like an angry phantom above the desk.

Perhaps, he thought as he rose from his chair to take the capsule, the page's fear had been justified after all.

He picked up the capsule and placed his organic thumb on the scanner on one side of the spherical object. A small screen flared to life above the scanner. _State your name_, a quick flash of letters said.

"Darth Vader," he answered automatically, since that was truly how he thought of himself now.

_Incorrect_, the screen said. Vader scowled at the capsule; he sensed Obi-Wan's presence on the thing now, and he briefly considered crushing it without listening to the message it contained. But, he was curious.

"Anakin Skywalker," he snarled between clenched teeth.

_Correct_, the screen said. The device began whirring and clicking, so Vader set it back on his desk. After a few seconds, it split open, revealing a small holo-emitter. With a further click and a few short beeps, it flared to life, displaying the head and shoulders of Obi-Wan Kenobi.

Vader reached out with the Force and deactivated all of the security monitors; no one else had the right to hear this, whatever it was. Just looking at the face of his former mentor made the Sith seethe with anger, but he let the message play.

"_Anakin,_" Obi-Wan's image said, his expression resigned and sad, _"please listen to what I have to say. I will not try to sway you from the path you have chosen, because I know you will not listen to me. As I said on Mustafar, I am sorry it had to come to this, but you will have to live with what you've done."_

Vader scowled at the image, but let it continue.

"_Padmé is dead,_" Obi-Wan said sorrowfully. "_Your child died with her."_ He was silent for a few moments after this, looking directly into the camera and thus making eye contact with Vader.

Vader sighed tensely, knowing this already. He'd sensed it back on the warship, sensed his angel losing her grip on life. It didn't hurt any less to hear it again now, particularly coming from Obi-Wan.

"_I have arranged for her to return to her family,"_ Obi-Wan said. _"I have not told them what happened."_ He leaned forward slightly, his expression reproachful. _"I will leave that to you."_

Vader would never know if Obi-Wan had recorded anything after that; he seized the capsule with the Force and crushed it until nothing was left, his hatred for his old master burning even brighter now.

An aide had the misfortune to choose that moment to step inside the wide, expansive office, a datapad in his hand. Gripped by rage, Vader whirled to face the intruder and, without thinking, reflexively loosed a blast of purple-blue lightning from his organic hand, hurling the unlucky man back through the inner doors with enough force to shatter the glass.

Vader stopped, shocked at what he'd just done, but for some reason did not move to assist the aide, who lay in a heap among the shards of glass, bleeding on the carpet. The Sith sensed that the man was still alive, if barely, and his mind whirled, wondering what he should do.

He sensed the power conduit running beneath the floor of the office, up to the massive desk at one end of the room. Thinking quickly, he blasted an area near the fallen man with more Force Lightning, rupturing the conduit. He deflected the resultant discharge of energy away from the man with the Force, then punched the emergency button on the desk, summoning the guards that stood outside the door.

The two men, draped in red with bullet-shaped helmets covering their faces, hurried in, their staffs at the ready.

"The conduit overloaded," Vader lied, pointing at the scorched hole in the floor. "Get him to the medical center immediately."

"Are you all right, my lord?" one of them asked, his voiced filtered by the helmet.

Vader waved him off. "I'm fine. Take him away."

The guards rushed to obey, leaving Vader behind in his office to think about what he'd just done. He shrugged; it was hardly the worst thing he'd done since accepting the Dark Side. He would have to work on the balance between the two sides of the Force to avoid outbursts like that in the future. He hardly wanted to become known as the sort of man who would kill someone for little or no reason.

His peace disturbed, Vader arranged for a few of the various bureaucrats Palpatine had ordered around to come up to his office. He knew next to nothing about politics, but he had the Force, and that would be enough.

He had an Empire to run.

* * *

-/\\-


	3. I,3: What a Piece of Junk!

-/\\-

* * *

**Three**  
(What a Piece of Junk!)

_Now (Nineteen years later)_

Luke Skywalker and Obi-Wan Kenobi walked down a short flight of steps into a cantina in Mos Eisley, a colorful place packed with a wide assortment of aliens, some close to human, some much more exotic. The rough stone walls, a tan color stained with assorted residue ranging from smoke to dried blood, curved up to the dome-like ceiling, hung with half-burned-out lights that kept parts of the seedy building in perpetual shadow. All in all, it was not a pleasant place, even for Tatooine, and Luke looked forward to leaving.

Obi-Wan moved off to begin asking around for a ship, so Luke took a seat at the bar, next to an Aqualish mercenary and an ugly, scarred human man. The Aqualish gave him a dirty look, but the young Jedi ignored him, gesturing to the bartender, a thick-set human man with greasy dark hair.

The bartender grunted as he set a mug in front of Luke, and the young Jedi nodded his acknowledgment. He eyed the mug suspiciously; whatever was inside had a powerful smell, though that might have just been the bartender.

He chanced a drink, and grimaced at the taste; either the mug hadn't been washed in a while or the brew had a healthy dose of engine grease in it.

Suddenly, a rough hand shoved his arm. Luke looked over to see the Aqualish glowering drunkenly at him, grunting something in his native language. Luke stared at him in a way he hoped was intimidating, but by the alien's reaction, he knew he was unsuccessful.

"He doesn't like you," the scarred human said.

"I'm sorry," Luke said, turning back to his mug.

The ugly human glowered at him almost as fiercely as his companion. "I don't like you, either," he said, moving his hideously scarred face closer to Luke's.

"That's too bad," Luke replied. "I'll be careful." He looked over at the human, sending out a small tendril of Force energy. "So should you."

"So should I," the ugly human repeated in a monotone. He turned to his companion. "We should be careful."

The Aqualish burbled something in his language, sounding like he was gargling while being attacked by a pack of hounds. It was agreeable-sounding gargle/growling, though, and the two of them left in a Force-induced fog.

Obi-Wan walked over shortly afterwards, accompanied by a two-meter-tall Wookiee. The Jedi Master gestured back at the furry alien. "Chewbacca here is first mate on a ship that might suit us."

Luke set his mug down and rose from his stool, tossing a credit chit beside the mug. "Let's go," he said, adjusting his belt.

The furry giant walked them back to a corner booth where a lean, dark-haired human man several years older than Luke was waiting. The man wore blue pants, an off-white shirt with a black vest over it, and a blaster at his hip. He sat with his left hand on the mug in front of him, but his right rested at the very edge of the table just above his leg. His posture was relaxed, but Luke could tell the man was wound as tightly as a spring; he could be out of his chair, blaster in hand, in a split second.

The man leaned forward over the table, resting his hands on its metal surface as Luke and Obi-Wan sat down. He looked at the two Jedi as his enormous Wookiee companion sat down next to him, also looking over at them. Chewbacca growled something in his language to the dark-haired man, and the man nodded, looking back at the Jedi.

"I'm Han Solo, captain of the _Millennium Falcon_," he said. He glanced briefly at the Wookiee next to him before looking back at Luke and Obi-Wan. "Chewie tells me you're looking for passage to the Alderaan system?"

"That's right," Obi-Wan replied. "If it's a fast ship."

"Fast ship?" Solo appeared mildly insulted. "You've never heard of the _Millennium Falcon_?"

Obi-Wan, in turn, appeared amused. "Should I have?"

Solo leaned across the table again. "It's the ship that made the Kessel run in less than twelve parsecs," he boasted. He leaned back, grinning lazily. "She's fast enough for you, old man."

"Fast enough to beat the _Executor_?" Luke said quietly. "It's important we get to Alderaan before it does."

Solo shrugged, drumming his fingers on the table a few times. "A Super Star Destroyer's built for firepower, kid, not speed. Even if she's already left, we'll get there hours before her." His expression became serious. "Why, you boys in some kind of trouble?"

Obi-Wan placed both hands on the table. "Let's just say we'd like to avoid any Imperial entanglements."

Solo grinned, an expression at once derisive and cocky. "I've outrun Imperial ships before. Not the local bulk cruisers, mind you. I'm talking about the big Corellian ships, now." He took a long drink out of his mug, then looked over at them as he set it back down. "Of course, it can be tricky. It'll mean extra." He tapped the side of his mug with his fingers, his expression becoming abruptly businesslike. "Ten thousand, all in advance."

"Ten thousand!" Luke exclaimed, outraged. "We could almost buy our own ship for that!"

Solo scoffed. "Yeah, but who's gonna fly it, kid? You?"

The young Jedi glared across the table at him. "You bet I could. I'm not such a bad pilot myself." He looked over at his master, starting to rise from the table. "Come on, we don't have to-"

The Jedi Master put a firm hand on his student's arm. "Sit down, Luke," Obi-Wan said patiently. He turned back to Han. "We haven't that much with us, but we can give you two thousand now, plus fifteen when we reach Alderaan."

The spacer's brows rose appreciatively. "Seventeen, huh?" He glanced over at Chewbacca, and the big Wookiee nodded once. Solo shrugged. "All right, you got yourselves a ship. Docking bay ninety-four."

"Ninety-four," Obi-Wan repeated, nodding once. "We'll meet you there in an hour."

Solo grinned. "I'll be there."

Obi-Wan nodded a farewell as the two Jedi got up from the table and made their way to the exit. Once they were back outside, Obi-Wan raised his hood against the harsh desert sunlight.

"You'll have to sell your speeder," the Jedi Master told him as they approached said vehicle, where R2-D2 and C-3PO were waiting.

"That's okay," Luke said, getting in. "I'm not coming back here again." He started up the speeder and moved off down the narrow, dusty street, dodging droids and Jawas as they drove. He glanced over at Obi-Wan. "Just let me send a message to Uncle Owen and Aunt Beru."

Obi-Wan nodded as Luke slowed to a stop near a public holocomm transmitter. While the boy went off to say good-bye to his adoptive parents, Obi-Wan looked for someone who wouldn't cheat them too badly for the speeder.

* * *

As the old man and the boy left the cantina, Han Solo turned to Chewbacca, grinning broadly. "Seventeen thousand!" he exulted. "This could really save my neck." He reached over to pat his friend's shoulder. "Head back to the ship and get her ready."

Chewie growled an acknowledgment and left. Han remained at his table long enough to drain his mug, then tossed a coin on the table and stood. By habit, he reached down to adjust his blaster belt across his hips as he swaggered towards the exit, already planning what to do with the money he'd have left over.

But, only a few steps from the exit, a harsh, filtered voice behind him stopped him in his tracks. "Going somewhere, Solo?"

Still facing the door, Han sighed, knowing even before he turned around who was there.

Boba Fett, the galaxy's most feared bounty hunter, stood next to a table set into an alcove, one armored gauntlet resting lightly against the blaster rifle slung across his chest. Fett's gray-green Mandalorian armor had acquired a few more scratches and dents since the last time Han had seen him, but in counterpoint, he seemed to be packing even more weapons than usual. Fett raised his chin slightly as Han met his gaze, staring coldly back at him behind the black T-slit of his visor. He gestured to his table with his other hand, then sat back down.

"As a matter of fact," Han said as he lowered himself into the other chair, "I was just going to see Jabba. You can tell him I've got the money."

Fett slowly, deliberately rested the muzzle of his blaster rifle on the tabletop so that it was pointed at Han, though he did not put his finger on the trigger. Still as a statue, he stared at Han for several further seconds until the Corellian finally caught his meaning. Keeping his movements casual, Han brought his right hand up, away from his blaster, and rested it on the table next to his left.

Satisfied, Fett held out his other hand. "I'll take it now, then."

Han shrugged. "Well, I don't have it _with_ me, but I will soon enough."

Fett leaned forward, his rifle scraping against the tabletop. "Don't waste my time."

Han grinned and spread his hands. "Relax. I got a nice, easy charter today. Enough to pay him back, plus a little extra."

Fett stared at him for a few moments, almost certainly trying to make him uncomfortable. It was working.

Finally, the bounty hunter moved his blaster rifle slightly, so that it wasn't quite pointed at Han anymore. "This was your one warning, Solo," he said. "If you skip out on this, I _will_ come after you."

Han knew he'd do it, too. Fett already didn't like him from some previous encounters; this sort of thing he'd probably do for free.

"My passengers are paying big," Han said, leaning back in his seat. "Like I said, I'll have more than enough."

Fett stared at him again for a while, but he finally lowered his blaster rifle altogether. "Don't get boarded this time," he said as he stood up. He paused next to Han's chair, looking down at him. "I doubt your passengers would appreciate it."

"Sure thing," Han said with an obnoxious grin. As soon as the bounty hunter's back was turned, he flipped him an obscene Corellian gesture.

However, once the expectant crowd turned back to their drinks, disappointed by the lack of violence, Han sank back in his chair, sighing in relief.

* * *

Deep within the Super Star Destroyer _Executor_, Princess Leia Organa sat in one of the prison cells, left with nothing else to do but curse the day's events yet again. Though, she didn't know what she could have done differently; Vader's flagship had been waiting for her when she dropped out of hyperspace above Tatooine, and before she could flee, he had fired on her and disabled her ship's engines.

Now two of the Jedi she'd been trying to bring to the Rebellion were dead, and the third was probably close. What was her name? Leia wished she'd taken the opportunity to get to know the Jedi a little better. She especially wished that she'd been able to keep them out of the Empire's clutches. Knowing Vader, the only reason he'd kept the young female Jedi alive was so that he could try to convert her to his own warped view of the Force.

In what few interactions they'd had, the dark-haired young woman had seemed pleasant enough. Leia felt sorrier for her than she did for her slain comrades; at least their deaths had been quick. Now the young woman would be twisted into a dark version of herself, the way the Sith Order had replaced the rest of the Jedi over the course of Vader's reign.

With a sudden hiss that disrupted her thoughts and startled her, the door to Leia's cell whooshed open, revealing none other than the Sith Master himself, dressed as always in black.

Darth Vader had to duck his head to step inside her cell, but once he rose to his full height, he towered over Leia, casting a shadow across her as he blocked out the overhead glowpanel's light.

"Now, Your Highness," he said, glaring down at her, "we will discuss the location of your hidden Rebel base."

With a quick gesture, he closed the door to her cell. Next, Vader removed the glove from his organic hand with his mechanical one, tucking it into his belt.

His cold blue eyes bored into hers. "Where are the Rebels hiding?"

Leia sneered, glaring up at him defiantly.

"This is your last chance to tell me willingly," the Sith Master said, flexing his flesh-and-blood fingers.

Leia spat at him.

Vader wiped the offensive matter off the front of his uniform tunic with his gloved hand, faint distaste on his cruelly handsome face. "Very well, then," he said, raising his organic hand.

Before Leia could ask him what he was doing, multiple bolts of jagged purple-blue lightning leaped from his fingertips and knocked her back against the wall of her cell.

Leia screamed in agony, and did not stop screaming for the next hour and a half.

* * *

Luke had one impression of the _Millennium Falcon_ upon seeing it for the first time, and he said it aloud: "What a piece of junk!"

The saucer-shaped vessel, with its outrigger cockpit on one side and cargo prongs on the front, was scored with countless blaster hits and other damage, with a few patches that looked suspiciously like rust. Aside from that, the ship had been heavily modified, so that, while Luke recognized the basic YT-1300 freighter it had once been, he doubted there was a single original part left on the vessel. It was a wonder it didn't fall apart right then and there.

Captain Solo emerged from the underside of the vessel, where he'd been checking a few systems in preparation for takeoff. "She'll make point five past lightspeed," he announced, looking over at Luke with a faintly irritated expression. "Hey, she may not look like much, but she's got it where it counts." He gestured behind himself to his vessel with his thumb. "I've made a lot of special modifications myself."

Luke gave the freighter - and her captain - a dubious look.

Solo either didn't notice or didn't care. "But, we're a little rushed," he said, "so if you'll just get on board, we'll get out of here."

Luke followed Obi-Wan onto the ship, gesturing impatiently for the droids to hurry up. The inside of the ship didn't look much better than the outside; the foam crash padding along the curved walls was scratched, ripped, patched, and stained, as was the metal deck, which was littered with assorted mechanical parts overflowing out of the haphazardly packed shelves and storage compartments. Luke even saw - and smelled - a few food wrappers laying around.

The giant Wookiee Chewbacca grunted something halfheartedly friendly at them as he passed through the main hold on his way to the cockpit, and Captain Solo made the equivalent sort of noise as he followed a few seconds later, glancing at his passengers briefly.

Luke, Obi-Wan, and the droids secured themselves in the acceleration couch behind a dejarik table, listening to the powerful rumble of the _Millennium Falcon_'s engines as they cycled up. On a whim, Luke unbuckled his belt and decided to go watch the takeoff from the cockpit; he'd never actually left the planet before, and was curious.

Obi-Wan followed him, and as the two Jedi entered the cockpit, Solo glanced back at them with a casual expression.

"You'd better sit down," he said over his shoulder before he resumed his conversation with Chewbacca. The two of them muttered to each other as they flipped switches and adjusted controls, an obviously practiced routine.

Obi-Wan sat down in one of the chairs behind the pilot's seat, buckling his crash webbing and adjusting his long brown robe beneath it. Luke remained standing a few seconds longer, watching as the ground dropped away beneath the cockpit windows. Without warning, Solo gunned the engines and surged forward at an incredible rate of acceleration, streaking across the Tatooine sky on his way off the planet.

Luke stumbled backwards, grabbing at the back of the other chair, but it swiveled right out of his grasp and dumped him in an undignified heap on the deck. As he pulled himself up and took his seat, he saw a shadow of a smile flicker around Solo's mouth as he continued to adjust controls, but Chewbacca's reaction was considerably less subtle; the Wookiee openly laughed at him, a growling, barking sound.

To Luke's further embarrassment, even Obi-Wan was smiling slightly beneath his silver beard, though the old Jedi Master was trying to hide it.

In only seconds, the _Falcon_'s powerful engines roaring behind them, the blue sky of Tatooine gave way to the inky blackness of space, dotted with pinpricks of light from distant stars. Luke was impressed, but the captain and the Wookiee paid the view no notice, eyes on their controls.

Solo glanced around at the space above them, looking down at one of his monitors next. "No _Executor_," he said. "They must have left already." He turned back to Luke and Obi-Wan with a grin. "No matter; we'll beat 'em there by hours." He grinned broadened as he glanced at Luke. "If you want, you can moon 'em as we fly past."

Chewbacca snuffled with laughter again, barking something at the captain. Han snorted and laughed himself as he turned back to his instruments. Luke frowned; he was probably the butt of the joke, from the glance Chewbacca gave him before laughing again.

The young Jedi sighed to himself. This was going to be a long trip.

* * *

Darth Vader pulled his glove back on as he left Leia's cell, both frustrated and impressed. The princess had told him nothing, displaying a remarkably strong will for one so young.

They were still hours from Alderaan, and the princess would need time to recover enough for him to try again, so Vader went back to his quarters. Other interrogators had already questioned the rest of _Tantive IV_'s crew, but they knew nothing; apparently Leia herself was the only one aboard knowledgeable about Rebel activities.

Fortunately, there was someone else aboard whose importance was sufficient to engage the Emperor's attention: the young Jedi he'd captured aboard the princess's starship. On his way to his quarters, Vader used his comlink to order her brought to him, restrained but not sedated. He wanted her to be able to listen to him clearly.

Displaying impressive efficiency, the medic and three stormtroopers were waiting outside the entrance to Vader's quarters with the prisoner even as he approached. Vader used the Force to open the door, and one of the stormtroopers roughly shoved the Jedi inside, causing her to stumble and fall. She glared at him, but did nothing further, obviously smart enough not to try anything with a Sith Master nearby.

"Leave us," Vader ordered.

Once the troopers and the medic were gone, the door closed behind them, Vader gestured for the young Jedi to precede him into the main room of his quarters. As he had expected, her gaze was drawn first to the wall of lightsabers, her eyes focusing on her own and that of her master.

Vader flicked a hand at the dispenser set into the wall on the other side of the room, setting it to produce a glass of water. "Are you thirsty?" he asked the Jedi. He received only silence in reply.

The Sith Master took a few more steps into the room, looking back at his 'guest' as she continued to stare at the lightsabers. She was young, probably not more than twenty, with dark eyes, attractive features and short black hair. She looked Kuati, and while probably not a noble, was definitely from that planet. She wore a loose-fitting off-white tunic and slightly more tight-fitting trousers tucked into brown knee-length boots. The tunic still bore the hole from the blaster shot, showing the bandage underneath.

"Your skills were impressive," Vader said, clasping his hands behind his back beneath his cloak. "What is your name?"

She gave him only a defiant glare in reply, unflinchingly meeting his eyes with contempt in her own.

"You already know my name," he said. "It is only courteous that you tell me yours."

"Malysa Kolos," she said finally, continuing to meet his gaze. She seemed to be determined not be the first one to break eye contact.

Vader did not outwardly show it, but he recognized her last name. Who else did he know named Kolos? As he and the young woman continued their silent contest of wills, it came to him: One of the newest troopers selected for the 501st, number TK-421, was named Tyraj Kolos. Now that Vader thought about it, they had similar features. Cousins or siblings, perhaps?

That would be an interesting coincidence, especially considering TK-421 had been the one to shoot her. Had he recognized her and shot anyway? If so, the man's loyalty was commendable.

"How many of them did you kill?" Malysa asked suddenly, surprising Vader. She had been completely silent, giving no indication of her thoughts

He did not show his surprise outwardly, keeping his face carefully passive. "I have killed many," he replied. "You will have to be more specific."

She gestured with her cuffed hands at his wall of lightsabers, dark eyes not leaving his. "How many of those Jedi did you kill yourself?" she asked.

"All of them," Vader said honestly. "All but one."

With a tug of the Force, Malysa's lightsaber flew off the wall and into his hand. "Impressive craftsmanship," he said, holding the weapon up for emphasis. "Your skills are nearly complete."

Malysa said nothing, still glaring at him.

Vader found the activation plate on the weapon and ignited it, summoning a brilliant blue beam of energy into existence with a _snap-hiss_. Moving with a suddenness that surprised the young woman, he expertly whipped the lightsaber down and between her hands. She broke eye contact and stepped back, looking down as the severed cuffs dropped to the deck.

"Peace is a lie; there is only passion," said Vader, quoting the first line of the Sith Code. "I have discovered this to be true."

Malysa still said nothing, meeting his eyes again. She rubbed her wrists where the cuffs had been, eyeing him suspiciously. Was he really stupid enough to leave her unrestrained in a room full of lightsabers? Or was he simply so confident in his own skills that he did not consider her a threat? He could sense her puzzlement as she looked up at him.

Vader gestured to her with her lightsaber. "Your Jedi teacher undoubtedly told you to restrain your passion, did he not?"

She nodded.

"But when you fought me, you did not restrain yourself," he said, gesturing again. The other lightsaber she had used flew into his other hand and he ignited it, conjuring a green beam that, combined with the blue light of her lightsaber, cast weird shadows across both of them. "Why?"

"I saw what you had done to my friends and I wasn't able to control myself," she admitted.

"You shouldn't be ashamed," said Vader. "Did you not notice that your anger made you stronger? Seeing the bodies of your master and your fellow student made you very angry, didn't it?" He crossed the glowing, humming lightsabers until they formed an X, framing her face in the upper part. "It made you hate me, didn't it?"

"A Jedi does not hate," she said, the lightsabers reflected in her large dark eyes.

"Well then," Vader said sardonically, "you must not be a Jedi. I felt your hate quite strongly."

Malysa visibly struggled to keep her composure, and Vader felt her emotions clearly through the Force: anger directed at him mixed with an attempt to remember what her Jedi Master had told her, unsuccessfully trying to summon calm and serenity.

"It was a momentary slip in my control," Malysa said. "I am still trying to learn how to control my emotions." The blue-and-green X still reflected in her eyes, and she did not flinch at the shining lightsabers so close to her.

"You don't have to control your emotions," Vader said. "They give you strength." He deactivated the lightsabers in his hands, retracting the blades into the hilts, so similar and yet so different. He held up the green-bladed lightsaber. "Your friend knew this; he was close to letting his passion fuel him, as were you."

"Don't talk about him," she said, still struggling to keep an impassive expression.

"Very well," Vader said, gently floating the young man's lightsaber back into its place on the wall. He kept Malysa's lightsaber in his hand. "But you know what I say is true. I let my emotions fuel my actions, and it has made me very powerful. I defeated you, your fellow student, and your master. How do you explain this?"

"It's because you are stronger," Malysa replied. "You were supposed to be the one to bring balance to the Force."

"To tip it in the direction of the Light, you mean," Vader scoffed, gesturing at her with the hilt of her lightsaber. "I know how the Jedi were trying to use me."

"Obviously you don't," she countered, impressing him with her spirit, "since you're using the Dark Side."

"I use the Force as a whole," Vader said. "As it is meant to be used. I do not limit myself to one side or the other, and neither do my students." He leaned forward slightly. "I _am_ bringing the Force into balance, and this is what gives me my power."

He flipped her lightsaber around, so that the emitter faced his chest, and offered it to her. "Stop limiting yourself. Your master knew how powerful you are, and he was afraid of you. This is why he tried to hobble you with pointless restrictions; he knew just what you are capable of, and was jealous of your power."

Malysa shook her head, glaring up at him again. "You don't know anything about him."

Vader straightened, but left her lightsaber within easy reach of her hand. "Don't I?" he said. "I have become adept at sensing the thoughts of others, and his were plain to me." He looked down at her, his gaze boring into her. "As are yours. You are considering seizing your lightsaber and striking me down with it. You will be doing the galaxy a great favor, you think, and I have been very foolish in giving you the opportunity."

She broke eye contact, looking away visibly shaken.

The Sith Master extended the lightsaber further, holding its pommel barely a few centimeters from her chest. "Take it," he said.

Eyeing him suspiciously, she took her lightsaber and held it in front of her, not activating it.

Vader spread his hands. "Strike me down. Do the galaxy a favor. I will not stop you."

Malysa ignited her lightsaber, staring at him warily. "This is a trick," she said, backing away a step.

Vader unhooked his own lightsaber from his belt and tossed it through an open door on the other side of the room, closing it afterwards. "No trick," he said.

"Why are you doing this?" she asked, carefully holding her lightsaber between herself and the Dark Lord.

"Because I know you," he replied. "I have seen your thoughts, your personality. You are intrigued by what I have told you, and you sense the truth of my words. The line between Dark and Light is the answer, and only there can true power be gained. You are not willing to simply strike me down, when you know that I can teach you to reach your true potential."

Malysa feinted, making as if to separate Vader's head from his shoulders, but he did not flinch, remaining perfectly motionless. She backed away confusedly, still holding her lightsaber in front of herself.

"This is a trick," she said. "You are evil."

Vader smiled enigmatically. "Am I?" He folded his arms over his chest. "Or am I right?"

Malysa deactivated her lightsaber and dropped it to the deck with a _clank_. "No," she said, backing away again. "No, I won't listen to you."

Vader shrugged. "You just need time to think it over." He reached back and triggered the comm unit set into the arm of his chair. "Find our guest some suitable quarters," he said over his shoulder, keeping his eyes on the Jedi. "See to it that she is made comfortable."

"_Yes, my lord,_" one of his servants answered. A moment later, the man stepped through the door, indicating that Malysa should follow him.

Vader gestured, and her lightsaber leaped from the floor and into her hand, which reflexively tightened around it. She looked over at the Sith Master with a curious expression.

"I trust you will not abuse my hospitality?" he said, gesturing for her to follow the servant.

Malysa left slowly, her emotions swirling in turmoil. As the door closed behind her, Vader smiled. She was thoroughly confused, his intention from the beginning. It was only a matter of time before she began to question her Jedi Master's teachings and motivations. With careful manipulation, he would soon have another recruit for the Sith Order.

And the more Force-users Vader had to support him, the closer he came to reaching his ultimate goal.

* * *

"You put a hole in my ship and you're floating the rest of the way," Solo's voice warned.

Luke rolled his eyes behind his blindfold. "They're training remotes," he replied. "They'd be lucky to put a hole in a sheet of flimsiplast."

"Are you ready, Luke?" Obi-Wan's voice asked from somewhere to his right, in front of him. He could sense his teacher leaning against the console where Solo sat, a derisive expression undoubtedly on the smuggler's face. Chewbacca sat behind him at the dejarik table, playing a match with Artoo, though Luke could sense the Wookiee watching him.

Luke ignited his lightsaber, its sapphire brilliance visible even through his heavy blindfold. He held it at the ready in a defensive position in front of himself, listening for the telltale hiss of the remotes' repulsors.

A slight twinge in the Force alerted him to the fact that Obi-Wan had activated the remotes, and within the space of a second, three of them fired at him from different directions. Luke moved his lightsaber through a quick defensive pattern, deflecting the low-power bolts back at the remotes that had fired them.

"Lucky," Solo said. "Not exactly the most complicated firing pattern, either."

"In my experience," Obi-Wan said to the smuggler, "there's no such thing as luck. Only the Force."

Solo scoffed. "Yeah, right. I've been from one side of this galaxy to the other, and I've seen a lot of strange things, but I've never seen _anything_ to make me think there's some all-powerful force controlling everything." Luke could almost see the spacer's derisive expression. "There's no mystical energy field that controls _my_ destiny. It's all a lot of simple tricks and nonsense."

"All right," Luke said challengingly, lowering his blindfold, "why don't _you_ try controlling the remotes?"

"Luke," Obi-Wan began, but Solo interrupted him.

"Sure, kid," he said. "Just don't start crying if you get zapped."

Luke could sense Obi-Wan's disapproval through the Force, but also a small amount of curiosity. He handed the control unit to Solo, who shuffled a little in his seat as he looked the unit over. The Corellian was harder to read than Obi-Wan, but Luke sensed hidden amusement and skepticism.

"Do be careful, Master Luke," Threepio said from his seat next to Chewbacca. "I would hate to see you damaged." Across the table, Artoo swiveled his head and whistled.

Solo held up the control unit. "Ready, kid?" he asked.

Luke nodded, pulling his blindfold back into place. He ignited his lightsaber again, dropping into a defensive crouch as he listened with both his ears and the Force.

Abruptly, all six remotes fired at Luke in a staggered pattern, hovering off in different directions to shoot again a moment later. Luke drew on the Force, remembering what Obi-Wan had taught him about movement in battle, and let it move his hands through a quick defensive pattern, deflecting all six of the first bolts back at the same remotes that had fired them. He deflected the second six at different remotes, purposefully angling his lightsaber for the last bolt so that it _spang_-ed off the bulkhead half a meter above Solo's head.

The remotes hovered to a stop as Chewbacca barked with laughter behind Luke. The young Jedi deactivated his lightsaber and pushed his blindfold up out of the way, looking over at Solo with a _told you so_ expression.

Chewbacca continued to laugh, and the smuggler shot him a dirty look. "Aw, shut up."

The Wookiee simply woofed out another laugh, grinning. Artoo similarly twittered with electronic laughter.

Luke glanced over to see Obi-Wan looking at him with a reproving but nevertheless amused expression. "You are improving, Luke," he said.

Solo snorted, setting the control unit on the console next to him. "What, he could only hit eleven out of twelve last time?" Something on the console next to him beeped, and he gestured quickly to his copilot. "We're coming up on Alderaan."

Chewbacca hit a final command on the dejarik board and got up from his seat, lumbering off to the cockpit. The tiny holographic monster he had selected jumped forward a space and finished off one of Artoo's, growling fiercely.

Artoo bleeped something after the Wookiee, and Threepio thumped the astromech's dome with one metal hand. "I told you not to leave that piece there," the protocol droid said. "There's no cause for language like that."

Luke pulled his blindfold the rest of the way off and tossed it on the dejarik table, shaking his head amusedly. How did Princess Leia put up with those two?

"We must move quickly once we land," Obi-Wan said. "Vader will have transmitted ahead, so the Royal Family have likely been arrested already. We must make sure we are inside the palace before Vader arrives and locks it down in preparation for the execution."

Luke nodded, hooking his lightsaber into its place on his belt. "I'll be ready, Master," he said.

Obi-Wan gestured toward the cockpit. "Let's go."

* * *

-/\\-


	4. I,4: Getting In Is The Easy Part

-/\\-

* * *

**Four**  
(Getting In Is The Easy Part)

"Y'know, I always like coming here," Han Solo said, looking down at the blue-green orb of Alderaan, swathed with white clouds. It seemed peaceful even from orbit.

Luke nodded from his seat behind Chewbacca, leaning forward to get a better view. Obi-Wan had been to Alderaan once, years ago on a mission from the old Jedi Order, and he had told Luke a bit about the planet. He definitely looked forward to seeing it, despite the nature of their mission.

Chewbacca growled something at Captain Solo, and the smuggler frowned at his sensor board. "You're right," Solo said. He glanced back at Luke. "Strap in, kid."

"Why?" Luke asked.

Instead of replying, Solo abruptly jerked the _Falcon_ to starboard, tipping the freighter on its side. The suddenness of the maneuver was more than the artificial gravity could handle, and Luke was thrown into the console next to his seat with bruising force.

In the next instant, Luke found out the reason for the maneuver; a gleaming white Star Destroyer reverted to realspace literally meters from their hull, overwhelming the smaller freighter with its sheer size. Solo wrestled with the controls to keep the _Falcon_'s flight stable, muttering to himself, and Chewbacca bellowed something fierce-sounding at the enormous Imperial ship.

"You said it, Chewie," Solo said, glaring turbolasers at the Star Destroyer. "Pushy Imperials think they can do whatever the nine hells they want. Here we are, honest spacers just trying to make a living, and they're trying to ram us out of their way."

Chewbacca barked something probably insulting about the Star Destroyer's captain and pushed several buttons on the console in front of him, grumbling.

Solo swooped the _Millennium Falcon_ low and quick, shooting out of range of both the Imperial ship's guns and tractor beam as quickly as he could.

"What's happening?" Obi-Wan asked, coming forward into the cockpit. He remained steady on his feet despite the frantic maneuvering, seating himself behind the pilot.

"Your friends decided to show up early," Solo said over his shoulder, hands flying over the controls. "It'll be a little tougher to get to where you said, but it's still doable."

"Any sign of the _Executor_?" the Jedi Master asked.

Chewbacca growled a negative. He woofed a few more words, furry head looking up and to the right at another bone-white Imperial ship that appeared off their starboard side, moving into position with the first.

"What did he say?" Luke asked his master.

"He said that the _Executor_ hasn't arrived yet," Obi-Wan replied. "These are just the advance ships to secure the planet before the Emperor arrives."

"Ha!" Solo crowed, pushing his ship steadily downwards for the planet. "Told ya we'd beat 'em!"

"_Freighter _Sunfighter Franchise_,"_ a clipped voice suddenly said from the comm unit, reading what was obviously a fake transponder code. "_This is the Imperial Star Destroyer _Chimaera. _Heave to and disengage your engines. Prepare to be taken into custody._"

Solo made a face at the comm unit. "Give 'em static," he said to Chewbacca. "Let 'em think our comm's out."

"They'll probably believe it, too," Luke remarked. "Just look at the rest of this bucket."

Solo glared over his shoulder at the young Jedi. "Watch your mouth, kid, or you're gonna find yourself floating home."

Turning back to his console, he suddenly increased speed and the _Falcon_'s engines roared, pushing them all back in their seats from the acceleration. The smuggler glanced over at his copilot. "They chasing us?" he asked.

Chewbacca barked a negative, pointing to the comm unit again. He hit a switch and suddenly a dignified human man's face appeared on the tiny screen. His hair and beard were still mostly dark, but he had bits of gray around his temples and next to his mouth.

"_Imperial fleet_," he began, "_this is Viceroy Bail Organa of Alderaan. May I ask why you have come to our system?_"

"Why are _we_ getting this?" Solo asked Chewbacca, steering the ship for Alderaan's atmosphere. The Wookiee growled a reply, and Solo's dark brows rose. "Systemwide, huh?" he said, adjusting another control. "They must want everybody to hear this."

The screen split suddenly, and another man's face appeared on the other side, this one a blue-skinned alien with black hair and red eyes, dressed in a white Imperial uniform. "_This is Grand Admiral Thrawn on the Imperial Star Destroyer _Chimaera," the alien replied_. _"_Emperor Skywalker has placed your daughter Leia Organa under arrest for treason against the Empire. As accessories to her crime, you and the entire Royal Family of Alderaan will be held pending your arrest. This system is now under Imperial jurisdiction._"

Bail Organa maintained a dignified expression, adopting a tone of righteous indignation. "_We have committed no such crimes, Admiral_," he said, looking firmly into the camera. "_Alderaan is a loyal subject of the Empire_."

Thrawn maintained an impassive, yet polite expression. "_Lord Vader does not share your view of 'loyalty', Viceroy_," he replied, his measured voice tinged ever so slightly with reproach. "_He will conduct your trial when he arrives_."

Bail's eyes widened. "_The Emperor is coming here?_"

Thrawn nodded once. "_The _Executor_ is on its way as we speak. Please, do not resist. I have no desire to harm you or any on your planet_."

Organa's expression became resigned. "_You know Alderaan is a peaceful world, Admiral_," he said. "_We cannot resist you, nor shall we_."

Thrawn smiled politely. "_I thank you for your cooperation, Viceroy_." With that, he terminated the connection.

"Great," Solo said, readying the _Falcon_ for atmospheric approach. "This was supposed to be a nice, easy charter, and now we end up in the middle of an invasion."

"Do you think it'll really go that far?" Luke asked.

"Almost certainly," Obi-Wan answered. "First, they will blockade the planet until Darth Vader arrives, and when he does, they will conduct a show trial before he executes the Royal Family. Once he has done that, he will install an Imperial Governor here to more closely oversee this sector." Obi-Wan's face showed his sadness. "Then they will install a number of military bases to further make an example of them."

"Either that, or they'll bombard the surface into glass from orbit," Solo said darkly.

Obi-Wan shook his head. "No, Vader wouldn't destroy an entire planet for the actions of just a few people. There's too much of Anakin left in him for that."

Luke scoffed bitterly, but otherwise did not reply. Solo gave him a curious look, but returned to his instruments. He muttered something to Chewbacca, who woofed a reply.

"All right," Solo said as the _Millennium Falcon_ began entering Alderaan's atmosphere, "we'll drop you off a klick or so from Aldera City, and then me and Chewie are going to get out of here before the blockade closes."

"What?" Luke exploded. "You can't just sit back and wait as Darth Vader kills all these people!"

The smuggler looked back at him with an indignant expression. "Hey, I don't like it any more than you do, kid, but there's not a whole lot I can do about it, is there?"

Chewbacca growled a reluctant agreement, looking out as the wide green fields and white cities of Alderaan whipped past beneath them.

"There is something you can do," Luke said quietly. "You can help us."

Solo gave a sarcastic chuckle. "The Imperial price on my head is big enough already. I'm not going to add to it by snatching prisoners out from under the Emperor's nose."

"The Rebellion will reward you," Luke said, trying to appeal to the smuggler's greed. The _Millennium Falcon_ was their only way off the planet, especially with a fleet of Star Destroyers lurking around. "Some of the richest people in the galaxy are contributors."

Solo snorted. "Yeah, until the Empire freezes their accounts." He looked back at Luke dubiously. "How am I going to get paid for this, steal a painting off the palace walls?"

"Han," Luke said seriously, "It's the right thing to do. If you don't help us, Bail Organa and his family are going to die."

Solo frowned, then frowned deeper when Chewbacca growled something softly at him. "Yeah, I know what _you_ want to do," he said to the Wookiee. "But _I'm_ the captain here."

"Han," Luke said again. "Are you going to let the Alderaanians die?"

"Yes," Solo replied with false hardness. He scowled. "No," he admitted softly. He looked back at Luke, then frowned. "Oh, quit making that face at me," he said. "I'll help you out."

Chewbacca rumbled something with the general meaning of _I thought so_, and Han gave him a dirty look. "Yeah, whatever," he said, waving his friend off. He looked back at the two Jedi, pointing his finger at Luke. "These rich friends of yours better come through in a big way."

The young Jedi nodded, and the captain went back to his board. Luke glanced over at Obi-Wan, who had remained silent during the exchange, and the Jedi Master smiled approvingly, reaching over to pat Luke's shoulder.

Luke smiled to himself as the _Falcon_ soared over a breathtaking white-capped mountain range, angling for the capital city of Alderaan.

Then he frowned. Convincing Han had been the relatively easy part; getting the Organas off-planet would be another challenge entirely.

* * *

Malysa Kolos stared out of the viewport of her quarters on the _Executor_ as the churning tunnel of hyperspace whipped past. She tossed her lightsaber from one hand to the other, her thoughts boiling at the same rate as the chaotic blue illusion outside.

She looked down at her boots, which were black instead of the usual brown. Her entire outfit was in darker colors than she liked, typical Sith robes in dark gray and black instead of her preferred white and brown. These clothes had been waiting in a neat pile when she emerged from her shower, her original clothes gone, and despite her distaste, they were the only thing available. She scoffed, irritated with Vader's mind games.

Malysa ignited her lightsaber, staring into its brilliant azure blade. She smirked wryly to herself; she'd half expected Vader to have replaced it with a red Sith lightsaber.

_Are you ready to see what I can show you?_ Darth Vader's voice asked in her mind.

Malysa scowled at the unwelcome intrusion. _Speak of a demon,_ she thought to herself, _and he shall appear_.

_I'm hardly a demon_, Vader's mental voice answered. _One of Palpatine's earlier apprentices fits that description more accurately._

_Maul_, Malysa thought. Her master had been at Qui-Gon Jinn's funeral, then an apprentice to one of the Jedi who'd gathered there, and had heard the story of the thing that had killed him from Master Jinn's apprentice, Obi-Wan Kenobi.

_Darth Maul was an animal_, Vader thought to her. _The result of sinking too deeply into the Dark Side. On the other side was Yoda, the result of veering too far into the Light. He and the other Jedi Masters were blinded and restricted by their own insistence upon the Order's archaic, outdated rules._

Malysa restrained herself from thinking something insulting back at the Dark Lord, remaining silent in the mental conversation instead.

_Come now,_ Vader 'said' engagingly, _don't hold yourself back. Tell me what you are thinking._

_You can't choose both sides,_ Malysa thought back at him. _The Dark Side and the Light Side of the Force are as opposite as night and day._

_Ah,_ Vader rejoined, _but do not night and day meet in twilight?_

_That doesn't apply to the Force!_ Malysa responded, frowning. _You're not going to trick me with your nonsense._

_I am not trying to trick you,_ Vader replied. _I am simply trying to show you the truth about the Force. Limiting yourself to one side or the other is halving your power._

_What you said earlier was correct,_ he continued,_ I _am_ the one to bring balance to the Force, and that is precisely what I am trying to do. I use the whole Force, as it is intended to be wielded._

_Wielded? _Malysa 'said' skeptically. _The Force is not a weapon._

_It _is, _Malysa,_ Vader countered. _The Force is both a weapon and a tool, a servant and a master. I have spent the last twenty years exploring the higher mysteries of the Force, as well as the results of Palpatine's studies over the decades before that. You forget, I have access to the entirety of the Jedi Archives and all the Sith knowledge Darth Sidious ever collected. I have thousands of years of study on both sides of the Force at my disposal, and I have learned a great deal._

Malysa had the impression of a mental invitation, almost like an extended hand, and a powerful compulsion to take it. _Your true potential lies with me, Malysa Kolos_, Vader 'said' invitingly. _Step up and take the power you were born to have._

Conflicted, Malysa nearly 'took' the mental hand. _No,_ she thought finally. _No, I… I can't._

_Understandable,_ Vader replied patiently. _You still need time to think, to see the truth in my words. I will make my archives available to you. I keep copies of everything I use for research aboard my vessel, so you may access them from the terminal in your quarters._

With that, Malysa felt Vader's presence withdraw from her mind, though she could still sense him nearby; his quarters were only a few dozen meters from hers, and it was impossible for a Force-sensitive being not to perceive power of that magnitude.

Malysa felt very alone just then, more frightened than she'd ever felt in her life. She was frightened of the Dark Lord, frightened of this cold, spartan ship, and most frightened of the fact that she was beginning to see sense in what Vader said.

Leaning forward to place her elbows on her knees, Malysa pressed the heels of her hands into her eyes, pushing her fingers through her hair.

What was she going to do?

* * *

"Getting in's going to be the easy part," Han remarked to the two Jedi and Chewbacca. "The Imperials haven't landed their troops yet."

"Yes, but getting out will be somewhat more complicated," Obi-Wan said.

Han fixed the old Jedi Master with a wry look. "Master of understatement," he said, smirking.

The five of them - they'd brought R2-D2 along to deal with any computer systems in their way - looked up at the elegant white lines of the Royal Palace, framed by a spectacular blue sky and a blanket of white, fluffy clouds. However, the serenity of the setting was marred by the angular lines of the Star Destroyers in orbit.

"Why don't we just go in through the front door?" Luke asked, shrugging under his dark brown robe. "The Imperials haven't landed here yet."

Han fixed him with a look that silently asked, _what are you, stupid?_ "Security cameras," he said as if it should be obvious. "The Imps are going to show up any time now, and the first thing they're gonna do is look over the Palace security tapes to see who's been around. If they see two Jedi waltz into the palace, they're gonna turn the whole place upside down to find you, and there goes your rescue plan." He frowned, idly rubbing the edge of his finger over the scar on his chin. "No, we've gotta come up with something else."

He noticed a dapper older gentleman walking down the street, then glanced up at a nearby billboard and grinned as an idea formed in his mind. He held up the money they had given him for their passage here. "What do you guys say to some new suits?"

* * *

Less than an hour later, as the first Imperial dropships bearing stormtroopers streaked through the atmosphere, three men, a Wookiee, and an astromech droid approached the main entrance to the Royal Palace.

Jerik Noran, the chief guard on duty, armed only with a largely ceremonial spear, held up his hand for them to halt as he looked them over. The man in the lead was perhaps in his late fifties or early sixties, with immaculately combed silver hair and a dignified beard to match. He was dressed in a dark blue suit in the latest Alderaanian fashion, gold cufflinks on the sleeves of his white shirt.

"Hello there," he said politely to the guard. "I realize this may be a somewhat inopportune time, but my associates and I were requested to come to the palace as soon as we could. I understand Lord Vader will be holding a trial once he arrives."

Jerik frowned; he knew exactly what would happen at this 'trial', and he had no intention of allowing this man, whoever he was, to take advantage of the situation. "That's right," he said, frowning heavily at the strangers.

"We understand the gravity of the situation," said the taller of the two young men with the older gentleman. Despite his neatly slicked dark brown hair and well-fitting dark gray suit, he had a vaguely disreputable air about him. "We're from Aldera City's best law firm," he continued, quoting a series of multiple-syllable names with practiced quickness that Jerik didn't quite catch, "and we'd like the most serious honor of defending the Royal Family against the Empire's arbitrators."

Jerik eyed them dubiously; while the three men certainly looked like lawyers, he'd never heard of any law firm with a Wookiee before. "What's he here for?" he asked, gesturing to the furry giant with his spear.

The Wookiee smiled in an attempt to be reassuring, but the display of his rather large, sharp teeth resulted in the opposite effect.

"Protection," the dark-haired man replied. "Can't trust the Imperials, you know." He gave the guard a reassuring grin.

Jerik thought their story was fishy. He had also noticed the way the Wookiee had casually but carefully positioned himself so that his shoulder blocked the older man's face from the security camera above the guard post. Though Alderaan was peaceful, one didn't get to be chief guard by being unobservant.

He was about to send them away when the shorter of the two young men, who had dark blond hair and intense blue eyes, adjusted his suit jacket slightly so that what looked quite a bit like the emitter of a lightsaber in his inside pocket was just barely visible to the guard.

His first thought was that they were Sith, but he didn't get that impression from them, especially the older man. In fact, he looked a bit familiar…

Jerik had to conceal his surprise as he suddenly recognized Obi-Wan Kenobi, the famed hero of the Clone Wars. His hair had gone silver and his face was lined with age, but it was definitely the same man.

"I'll show you to the Royal Family's chambers," Jerik said.

He didn't believe a word of all the propaganda the Empire had been spreading for the last twenty years; he'd been a teenager during the Clone Wars, and had met more than one Jedi himself, his brief encounter with Obi-Wan Kenobi on a previous visit of the Jedi's to Alderaan foremost in his mind.

"I'll tell them you're on your way," Jerik said with a meaningful look at Master Kenobi. The Jedi Master nodded sagely and followed as Jerik opened the door, his companions following shortly.

* * *

The _Executor_ did not so much revert from hyperspace as erupt, speeding toward Alderaan until it dwarfed all of the large-in-their-own-right Star Destroyers like saplings next to a mighty wroshyr tree.

The Emperor had arrived.

* * *

"_People of Alderaan_," Darth Vader began in a message that was transmitted all over the system, overriding the programming of any large screen or holo unit to display the still-handsome features of the man who had once been known as Anakin Skywalker. Billions of people watched in shock, horror, and resignation.

"_Your rulers are guilty of treason against the Empire. The Organa family has conspired with the Rebellion, and there must be consequences for this. The sovereign Empire is the legitimate government of this galaxy, and to my disappointment, the Royal Family has chosen to work with those plotting to undermine it._" Vader glared into the camera, making reproachful eye contact with anyone watching the message. "_This is a most unfortunate choice, and what I must now do to rectify it is not something that pleases me. But, terrorists and those who sponsor them cannot be tolerated, and for the good of the New Order and the peace it is bringing to our galaxy, it must be done. The Royal Family's trial will be held tomorrow morning at dawn_."

Lord Vader leaned forward slightly, causing his face to fill the various screens around the system upon which it was displayed. "_Do not resist my troops_," he warned gravely. "_No blood has to be shed today, but we will respond to any insurgency with appropriate force_."

With that, he terminated the communication, leaving the people of Alderaan with a heavy heart.

* * *

"Master Kenobi, it is very good to see you again," Bail Organa said warmly, extending a hand to the Jedi Master. "I only wish it was under better circumstances."

Obi-Wan shook the proffered hand, nodding. "I wish the same, Your Highness," he said. "We must speak quickly, before Imperial troops arrive to take you into custody."

They were in a sitting room in the palace, lined with plush couches upon which the Jedi Master, Luke, Han, and Chewbacca sat, the latter two looking around somewhat nervously. The only time they'd been near this kind of luxury was in the palace of a Hutt, though Alderaanian style was much more elegant and reserved. The walls were white, as was the carpet and a great deal of the furniture. The whole place projected an aura of pristine, dignified nobility, elegant in its simplicity.

Han grinned, then dialed it back to a smile as the Viceroy looked over at him, a faintly distrustful expression on his face. Bail had given Luke a similar funny look when they'd been introduced, seeming almost like he recognized the kid. Han thought this odd, since Luke had said he hadn't ever been off Tatooine before.

"We'll do our best to get you out of the palace during the night," Obi-Wan said. "Security will be tight, especially with Lord Vader here, but I am confident we can manage."

Bail nodded. "As you may know, there is in fact a cell of the Rebellion here. I will tell you how to contact them, and you will be able to count on their aid." He paused, seeming uneasy for a moment. "I do not like putting them at risk like this when they are preparing to go into hiding, but…" He trailed off.

Obi-Wan smiled reassuringly. "It is worth the risk, Bail," he said. "We must make sure you escape. Your family is of great importance to the Rebellion."

Han caught the emphasis on the Jedi Master's words, though he didn't quite understand it. Sure, they were rich, but why were the Organas so important? Any underground movement needed first and foremost money, and stars knew the Alderaanians had plenty of that. Was that the only reason, or was there something else going on here Han didn't know about?

A servant, dressed in more white, appeared at the door and walked quickly over to Bail Organa with a worried expression. What she said made Han worried, too: "Lord Vader's shuttle has landed."

Bail nodded. "Go," he said to Obi-Wan, standing. "Our plans will be for nothing if you are caught here with us."

"We'll be back," Luke said earnestly. "We promise."

Bail smiled warmly at the young Jedi. "Thank you," he said. "Now go, quickly."

"Don't have to tell me twice," said Han, already halfway to the door.

The three men and the Wookiee hurried out of the palace, headed off to meet with the Rebels.

* * *

Darth Vader strode through the front door of the Royal Palace as if he owned it. His dark cloak billowed dramatically out behind him as he marched with a platoon of stormtroopers through the normally tranquil white halls, headed for the room where Bail Organa and the rest of his family waited, save one.

That one walked behind Vader, hands cuffed together but her pride bound not an iota. Princess Leia Organa held her head high, walking in as dignified a manner as she could manage surrounded by white-armored stormtroopers and the grim ebony-draped Vader.

She had not been afforded a change of clothing, so she still wore the white gown marred by the scorch marks from the Sith Master's lightning. Leia bore them like badges of honor, trying not to let the pain she was still in show on her face. Decorum was the key; she was likely being recorded right now for the footage the Empire would release to the rest of the galaxy along with that of her trial and almost certain execution. She refused to appear cowed or submissive, determined to be proud and dignified to the end. If need be, she would become a martyr for the Rebellion; she was willing to make that sacrifice for what she believed in.

Vader gestured dramatically with both hands, and the large white doors to the throne room slammed open with an echoing _bang_. He stormed inside, long legs carrying him faster than his stormtroopers could keep up.

Everything in the expansive hall, including the thrones and the Royal Family's clothing, was the simple, elegant white of new-fallen snow, save a few accents in light gray. Bail Organa and Queen Breha sat on their thrones with serene expressions, watching as Vader surged toward them like a tidal wave, his expression both triumphant and fierce.

The Sith Master's black clothing made him a kernel of darkness in the pure white throne room, making him seem even more unwelcome.

"Breha and Bail Organa," Vader began, pointedly not using their titles, "you are under arrest for treason against the Galactic Empire. You will be escorted immediately to your quarters, where you will remain under guard until your trial tomorrow morning."

Queen Breha rose from her throne and gracefully bowed her head in acknowledgment. Leia had never been more proud of her mother than she was in that moment, seeing her face the tyrant with grace and manners.

"As you say, Your Majesty," Breha said. "We hope this regrettable matter will be cleared by a fair court of law."

Leia kept her expression impassive, but inwardly cheered for her mother's choice of words. Vader could say nothing triumphant or judging without seeming petty now, and he would not risk it, not with the cameras running.

The muscles in Vader's jaw worked for a moment, too subtle to be picked up by any except those who stood next to him, and finally he nodded curtly, turning on his heel to march back out of the throne room as if that was what he had been planning all along. The stormtroopers moved forward and put binders on Leia's mother, father, and aunts, marching them out at blaster-point.

The Organa family followed serenely, heads held high.

* * *

_Are all Rebels this beautiful_? Luke thought to himself, looking at the two women who had met them in secret in the lower levels of a parking garage several blocks from the palace.

One of the young women was a very dignified beauty with long, thick white hair that she wore loose in a waterfall down her back. She dressed in conservative Alderaanian white that nevertheless hinted at the graceful curves beneath. One instinctively felt a need to be polite to her, and all three of the men were - especially Han, surprisingly.

The other was a slightly younger woman about Luke's age with vibrant red-gold hair and penetrating green eyes which swept over the small group as they approached. She was dressed in darker, tight-fitting clothes that accentuated her own ample curves, and wore a blaster at her hip which was in excellent condition, like she took it apart and cleaned it every day. She had a lithe grace, like a dancer, and Luke got the impression that she could handle herself extremely well in a fight. He thought she was the most beautiful woman he'd ever seen, and his eyes hardly left her during the entire conversation.

"I am Winter, and this is Mara," the white-haired woman said to Obi-Wan. "We are most grateful for your assistance, Master Kenobi."

"Thank you," Obi-Wan replied. "I am happy to help you in any way I can."

"Getting into the palace will be simple," Mara said. "Winter knows all the passageways like she built them, and so do I." She looked at Obi-Wan gravely. "Bypassing Imperial security to get the Royal Family out is going to be very difficult."

"It will," Obi-Wan said, rubbing his beard thoughtfully. "Do you have any suggestions?"

Luke was waiting for the reply when he felt an elbow in his side. He glanced over to see Han grinning conspiratorially at him.

"Shake your head, kid," he whispered, "your eyes are stuck." He glanced back over at the two women. "Can't say that I blame you, though."

Winter did not acknowledge their whispering, still engaged in conversation with Obi-Wan, but Mara flicked a glance in their direction, smiling slightly at Luke.

Han elbowed him again. "Way to go, junior," he whispered.

"Shut up!" Luke whispered back; Han just snickered at him in reply.

"What do you think, Luke?" Obi-Wan said, glancing back at his apprentice.

Luke realized with embarrassment that he hadn't been listening. Then, with further embarrassment, he realized that Obi-Wan knew this.

"Well," he said, recovering as best he could, "what about the ventilation system?"

Mara nodded once, apparently not noticing Luke's embarrassment - perhaps deliberately. "It'd be a tight fit, but you and I could fit through there, since we're the slimmest," she said. "Once we're inside the Royal Family's chamber, we can move the bookcase that's in front of the secret passage, where the rest of you can meet us. After that, we'd better move quickly to your ship; It won't take the Imperials long to notice they're missing."

"What should me and Chewie do?" Han asked, gesturing back at his copilot. "We're pretty good at sneaking into places like this."

Mara looked up at the gigantic Wookiee somewhat dubiously. "No offense," she said, "but you're a bit… noticeable."

Chewbacca growled and barked a casual reply back at her, shifting his massive feet on the rough ferrocrete of the garage's floor.

"He says he understands," Han said, "and not to worry about it. He'll wait with the _Falcon _and keep it ready."

Mara grinned in a friendly way, a smile that made Luke's insides go all funny even though it wasn't directed at him. "I understood him," she said, adjusting her hands on her blaster belt. "We're grateful for your help," she said over Han's head to Chewbacca.

The Wookiee smiled back at her, displaying his teeth. Luke felt slightly unnerved by the expression, even though there wasn't even the slightest hint of malice in it; Chewbacca was just that intimidating.

"So," Winter said, "a few hours after dark, we'll make our way into the secret passage." She looked between Obi-Wan and Luke. "It would probably be best to wait until after midnight to remove the Royal Family," she said. "The patrols won't be as heavy."

"I agree," Obi-Wan said. "Shall we go with you back to your safehouse?"

"We'll take our speeder," Mara said, gesturing behind herself at it.

"So, what do we do until the mission?" Luke asked Han in a whisper, looking at his wrist chrono. Midnight was more than ten hours away.

Han clapped Luke on the shoulder. "Sleep. We're not going to get it for a while once the mission starts." He waggled his eyebrows suggestively, glancing past Luke at Mara, who was bending over to open the trunk of their speeder for Artoo. "At least you got something to dream about."

Luke looked at Mara and blushed as he realized Han's meaning. "Shut up!" he whispered fiercely.

Han laughed as he walked past him to get into the speeder, and even Chewbacca snickered as he moved past Luke. To make it worse, Mara smiled at Luke again as she moved for the front seat of the speeder.

"After you," she said, gesturing for him to get inside.

"Uh… okay," Luke said eloquently, trying furiously to stop his blushing. He got in, and she slid in next to him. He couldn't help but notice the way her leg was pressed against his, and she smiled at him again as she closed the door.

Luke happened to glance at the rearview mirror, and Han met his eyes in the reflection from the backseat, waggling his eyebrows again. If Luke could have shot death-beams from his eyes just then, he would have seriously considered doing it.

"Ready?" Winter asked from behind the steering controls. At a round of nods and other acknowledgments, she started the speeder and moved off for the safehouse.

* * *

-/\\-


	5. I,5: Getting Out's a Different Story

-/\\-

* * *

**Five**  
(Getting Out's a Different Story)

Two Jedi, two Rebels, and a smuggler gathered in a secluded hallway on the lower level of the Royal Palace on Alderaan, surrounded by the darkness of midnight. The lights were not on in this part of the palace, since it had been shut down and sealed off shortly after the Imperial occupation had begun.

Getting in was not a problem, since three of the five people were experts in security systems. Now, they looked at each other in the darkness, here at the place where they parted ways.

Han reached out and gently punched Luke's shoulder. "We'll see you in the tunnels, kid," he said, receiving a nod from the young Jedi in reply.

"Once I see Han and Winter to the other end of the passage," Obi-Wan said, also to Luke, "I will disable the security systems between you and the exit."

Luke nodded. "We'll see you back at the ship, Master."

Obi-Wan nodded sagely, looking at his student. He felt a twinge in the Force, accompanied by the dark presence of his former student, and he was struck by a sudden urge to reach out and clasp Luke's shoulder warmly. "Remember," he told his apprentice in what he hoped would not be his final lesson, "the Force will be with you, always."

Luke nodded almost sadly, perhaps sensing the same thing Obi-Wan had.

With a final series of exchanged glances, the small band of freedom fighters parted ways for their respective missions.

* * *

Despite the cramped quarters of the ventilation shaft, Luke didn't mind being jammed into a tiny tube of metal; ahead of him was Mara, who had to contort herself into some interesting positions to make her way through the duct-works.

"See anything?" she asked, shifting forward another meter. Every few meters a small grille opened up into one of the many rooms and passages of the palace, but all that was visible was a lot of Alderaanian white and the occasional stormtrooper.

"Uh-huh," Luke said absently, his eyes focused on something other than the side of the shaft. A very nice something.

"Oh, yeah?" Mara asked, grunting as she shifted so that she could see Luke. Her vibrant green eyes looked back at him curiously, only barely visible by the small amount of light filtering into the shaft from a nearby grille. "What?"

Luke was glad the darkness of the ventilation shaft hid his blush. "Uh, the patrols are lighter here," he said. "I've only seen three stormtroopers in the last twenty minutes."

Mara nodded before stretching back out again to crawl along another few meters of the shaft. "It's after midnight," she whispered back. "I don't think the Imperials are expecting anything to happen." A dry, slightly mocking tone entered her voice. "The Alderaanians are too peaceful to try anything this sneaky."

Luke nodded, watching as her upper half and then her legs disappeared around a corner. He wriggled his way after her, feeling the cold metal of his lightsaber pressing into his chest from where he'd tucked it into his tunic. The lightsaber reminded him of his master suddenly, and the odd premonition he'd had through the Force drifted through his mind momentarily, that of a blue lightsaber crossing with a red one and challenging words exchanged in his father's voice and Obi-Wan's.

He shook the vision from his head as he came around the corner, trying to squeeze his shoulders through the narrow passage, and saw Mara slowly removing the screws that held a ventilation grille in place. "Find it?" he whispered ahead.

She nodded, rearranging herself in the shaft with enviable flexibility as she removed the grille and gently placed it ahead of herself in the cramped passage. Moving with a lithe grace, she swung her legs into the opening and quickly, quietly slipped out of the ventilation shaft.

Luke followed somewhat less quietly; stealth had never been his best skill, as he'd focused more on his lightsaber forms instead. He finally managed to extricate himself from the shaft, somersaulting to land almost without a sound on the thick carpet below.

He and Mara found themselves in a large, rectangular chamber, predominantly decorated in white. It was similar to the sitting room Luke and the others had met Bail Organa in several hours earlier, filled with comfortable, light-colored furniture. The lights were not on, and the only illumination came from an expansive window which let in the moonlight, setting the white walls aglow with silver light. The only real color in the room came from several paintings hanging on the walls, one of them depicting some kind of insectoid creatures facing a storm or large cloud; it was hard to see in the dim light.

Mara stepped over to Luke and leaned over to whisper in his ear. He was almost too distracted by the pleasant feeling of her warm breath tickling his ear to hear what she said, but he made himself focus anyway.

"All of the Royal Family's bedchambers are adjacent to this room," she said. She gestured to several doors, stopping at a large one at the far end of the room. "The Imperial guards should be over there, since that's the only way in here besides the secret passage."

Luke nodded. "Where is it?" he whispered.

Mara gestured to a three-meter wide bookcase which was at least six meters tall, made of some kind of white stone and metal and filled with books. "Behind that," she whispered back.

The young Jedi frowned. He certainly hoped there was some kind of hidden release or counterweight; the bookcase looked extremely heavy.

"There's no counterweight," Mara said, almost as if she had sensed his thoughts. "We'll have to be careful when we move it." She looked over at him, green eyes serious. "Quietly, though. Lord Vader himself is in the palace somewhere, and if he hears us, it's all over."

Luke nodded. If his… If Vader was here, getting out of the palace without attracting his attention was going to be extremely difficult. Luke half expected to have to fight his way back to the _Millennium Falcon_, though he hoped he didn't have to battle the Sith Master himself. That was not a fight he thought he could win, at least, not yet.

But first, something else was bothering him. "Hey," he whispered to Mara, "how are we going to move the bookcase without making any noise? We didn't bring any anti-grav units."

"Use the Force," Mara said, as if it was obvious. "That's why I brought you with me."

Luke chewed his lip thoughtfully, staring at the bookcase. It was heavy and unwieldy, but possible. The greater trick would be to do it without alerting Vader.

Mara tapped his shoulder, gesturing to one of the rooms. "Let's go," she said. "I want to get out of here as fast as we can."

The young Jedi nodded quickly and followed her.

* * *

"Careful!" Han hissed quietly, trying to catch all the pieces of debris before they hit the floor. With all these twisty passageways, who knew how far sound would carry?

Obi-Wan continued to slowly cut his way through the masonry with his lightsaber, trying to make as little sound as possible. Han and Winter stood on either side, catching the crumbling pieces of stone before they could crash to the floor. The three of them crouched in a secluded corner of a seldom-used hallway in the Royal Palace, trying to get inside the secret passage the Royal Family would be fleeing through along with Luke and Mara.

"I thought you said you knew these passages!" Han whispered fiercely to Winter; this obstacle was not one they'd been expecting.

"I _do_ know them," the elegant young woman whispered back, calm as ever. "I studied the plans very thoroughly, even the secret work orders the architect was supposed to have destroyed." She looked at the brick wall, which had been waiting for them when they'd moved a large bookcase aside. "I don't know who walled off this passage, though."

Han caught another chunk of stone, dislodged by the slow progress of Obi-Wan's lightsaber, and carefully set it down. "Let's just hope they didn't decide to seal off any more passages," he grumbled. "We can't keep doing this all night."

Winter nodded. "I wish I had been able to explore these passages beforehand, but I never had an opportunity before this mission. We chose this one specifically because it hadn't been used in decades; the Imperials won't be looking for us all the way down here. At least, not immediately," she amended.

"I'm finished," the Jedi Master said, deactivating his lightsaber. Letting his eyes fall half-closed in concentration, he moved his fingers in a slow, deliberate gesture.

As Han and Winter watched, the brick wall slowly lifted slightly free of the floor and moved back into the passage, swinging to one side before finally setting down almost soundlessly. Obi-Wan opened his eyes, turning to the others.

"I'm off to take care of the security system," he said. "I'll see you back at the ship."

"I wish I could come with you," Winter said. "I know the palace's security systems very well."

"Yeah, but you know the passages even better," Han said, gesturing at the dark opening. "And I'll get lost without you. Let's go."

Obi-Wan smiled quickly. "I'll be fine. Go help the others," he said.

Winter moved forward and warmly embraced the Jedi Master before nodding once and moving off into the passage.

Han backed into the passage, waving casually to Obi-Wan as he did so. "I'd give you a hug, too, but…" he said, smirking.

Obi-Wan smiled wryly, nodding in farewell before he moved off through the hallway.

Han turned back to the passageway and raced after Winter, hoping this crazy plan would work.

* * *

Darth Vader was deep in meditation when he sensed the Force being used nearby. His eyes flew open instantly; he should be the only Force-user on this planet, since none of his students were stationed here.

As the Sith Master quested after the mysterious Force-user, he gradually recognized the presence, one he'd not felt since…

"Obi-Wan," Vader said aloud, rising from where he had been kneeling on the floor of what had until recently been the Organas' throne room.

A slow smile came over his lips, and with a quick gesture, his lightsaber leaped into his hand.

His quest was nearly over now.

* * *

Leia looked up in surprise as the door to her room opened and a young man with sandy blond hair and startlingly blue eyes stepped inside, looking around for a moment before his gaze finally locked on her.

"What's the matter?" Leia asked the intruder. "Lost?"

The young man took a few steps closer, gesturing for her to get up. "My name is Luke Skywalker," he said. "I'm here to rescue you."

"Skywalker?" Leia asked dubiously, knowing all too well who shared that name.

Luke waved a hand dismissively. "No relation. I'm here with Master Kenobi," he said urgently. "We've got to go!"

"Master Kenobi?" Leia asked, jumping to her feet. "Where is he?"

Luke waved for her to follow him. "Come on!"

Leia followed, and noticed as she did that a lightsaber hung from Luke's belt. Was he a student of Obi-Wan's?

Once she emerged into the main room of her family's quarters, she saw her mother, father, and aunts waiting with a red-haired young woman of about her age whom she didn't recognize.

The young woman gestured to the large bookcase on the wall opposite the moss-painting_ Killik Twilight. _"Okay, Master Jedi," she said to Luke. "Do your stuff."

Luke nodded and stretched his fingers, as if preparing for some physical exertion. Leia looked at him amusedly; was this skinny young man going to try and move that gigantic bookcase by himself?

The young Jedi's eyes fell half-closed in concentration, and he stretched out both hands, facing the bookcase. Slowly, a bit of dust shook loose from the highest shelf - Leia was briefly annoyed the cleaning staff hadn't been up there in long enough for that much dust to settle - and then, seemingly by itself, the bookcase moved outward a slow few centimeters, making no sound. Leia looked down and saw that the lower edge of the large, heavy bookcase that hadn't been moved since before she was born floated a centimeter above the carpet. Once one side of the massive bookcase had moved out about three-quarters of a meter, it slowly lowered to the ground again, touching down with extreme care onto the thick carpet.

Luke released the breath he'd been holding, opening his eyes and looking over at the others. He opened his mouth to say something when suddenly a different, slightly deeper man's voice called out of the passage behind the bookcase, "C'mon, kid, we don't have all night here."

A roguishly handsome man with dark brown hair poked his upper half into the room, waving the Organas and their rescuers over. "How's it going?" he asked casually when Bail looked over at him. "Looks like a straight shot to the _Falcon,_ so let's get out of here before the Imps show up."

Just then, the door to the room slammed open to reveal a squad of stormtroopers, who raised their blaster rifles and fired at the intruders.

The dark-haired man muttered a sulfurous Corellian oath and pulled a blaster, firing three shots in rapid succession back at the stormtroopers that came swarming into the room. He looked over at Leia through the sudden confusion, a glint of ironic humor in his dark eyes. "Too late."

Leia hated him already.

* * *

Obi-Wan lowered his hand and stepped over the unconscious forms of the Imperial technicians who had been manning the Palace's security system, hoping the induced sleep he had put them in would last long enough for him to get away. The security system was a relatively new addition, having been installed only within the last five years, but the rising violence of the Empire made such precautions necessary even on peaceful Alderaan.

With a quick adjustment of the systems, Obi-Wan disabled the motion sensors and other security devices between the passage at which he had left Han and Winter and the service exit one level down. This led into the palace's garage, from where the group could hopefully slip unnoticed to where Chewbacca and the droids waited with the _Millennium Falcon_.

The Jedi Master was now almost certain that he would not be joining them. He could sense the dark presence of the man he'd once called friend and brother questing after his own, sweeping the palace with a mental searchlight.

It was imperative that Anakin not sense his children. Obi-Wan would lay down his life if need be to keep them away from Vader and his twisted teachings. Luke and Leia were the last hope for the Rebellion; without them Vader would continue to spread his darkness over the galaxy, and with them at his side he would spread it faster.

As the Jedi Master moved off through the halls of the Royal Palace, headed for the palace garage, he reflected on how far things had diverged from his and Yoda's original plan. Obi-Wan had intended to leave Tatooine with Luke and come to Alderaan for Leia years ago, to take them to Dagobah where he and Yoda could finish their training. But, Vader had grown exponentially more powerful in the years since Mustafar, both politically and in the Force, so it was simply too dangerous to leave Tatooine and go closer to the more populated sections of the galaxy, where the Emperor and his legions of Sith patrolled.

Obi-Wan paused suddenly. Several levels above, he sensed Luke and the others were in danger; stormtroopers had discovered the escape attempt and were now pursuing them through the palace's secret passageways.

His was not the only attention drawn to the sudden flurry of activity; he sensed Vader drawing closer to the action.

Obi-Wan picked up his pace. He had to get there before Vader did!

* * *

"I sure hope you're grateful!" Han shouted to Leia over a barrage of blaster fire. "This is more effort than I usually put into a rescue!"

Leia moved out from behind the corner of the passageway at which she was taking shelter from the pursuing stormtroopers and fired three quick bolts from her blaster rifle, appropriated from a dead stormtrooper. She ducked back behind cover as the troopers fired back.

"Some rescue!" Leia shot back. "You came in here and you didn't have a plan for getting out?"

Han leaned out from behind his own cover and sprayed a hail of blaster bolts down the passage. "He's the brains, sweetheart!" he said, jerking a thumb at Luke, who was also armed with an appropriated blaster rifle. The troopers were too far away for him to use his lightsaber to do much more than deflect blaster bolts.

"I didn't know they were going to be stupid enough to go throwing grenades around down here!" Luke said indignantly, leaning out from beside Han to shoot as the smuggler reloaded. "They blocked the passage we were going to take!"

Mara, the only other person who'd managed to stay with the Jedi, the smuggler, and the princess, suddenly surged across the gap between Leia's corner and Luke and Han's, firing with her own blaster in one hand and a stormtrooper's sidearm in the other. A series of deadly red bolts lanced out from her blasters, dropping three of the opposing troopers with one salvo. Several of the troopers fired back, but hit only the wall behind her.

"Which way do we go?" Han shouted to the red-haired Rebel as he ducked around his corner, wincing as a trooper's bolt blew a chunk out of the wall next to his head.

"Back that way!" Mara shouted back over the explosions in the tunnel, pointing in the direction of the stormtroopers. "The passage we need to take is six meters in that direction, on the right side."

A grenade sailed in their direction, but Luke raised a hand, and it suddenly reversed direction in mid-air and flew back toward the trooper who had thrown it. Luke fired a few bolts to provide cover, and the grenade exploded only a meter in front of the group of stormtroopers, hurling them backwards with tremendous concussive force. A few troopers had remained out of range, however, and renewed their barrage a moment later.

"We'll never make it that far!" Han shouted, leaning out to fire again. Luke suddenly grabbed the back of his vest and hauled the smuggler out of the way as a ruby bolt smashed into the wall behind them, passing through the space where Han's head had been a moment before.

"Thanks, kid!" Han said quickly. Suddenly, his eyes widened and he shoved Luke as far as he could down the passage leading off from their corner.

Mara saw the grenade coming, too, and pulled Leia aside, ducking as the detonator blew out the wall behind their corner and the two men's.

Han leaned back out and fired a quick salvo from his blaster to keep the stormtroopers from advancing. As he ducked behind cover again, he wrinkled his nose. "What's that smell?"

Mara gestured at the newly blown hole in the dark stone wall between them. "The garbage chute runs behind that wall," she yelled back.

Leia winced as a sudden flurry of bolts blasted a huge chunk of stone from the wall next to her. She leaned out and fired four times, then ducked back. "It's our only way out!" she shouted to the men. "The other passages here lead back up to the upper levels."

Han made a face. "I really don't want to go down there."

Leia glared across the passage at him. "You'd rather stay here?" She gestured at the hole with her blaster. "Into the garbage chute, flyboy!"

As soon as the words left her mouth, the princess jumped up and hosed the passage down with continuous fire from her blaster rifle, then leaped into the hole in the wall behind them as soon as she reached it. Mara followed a moment later, dodging a number of blaster bolts before leaping in head-first.

"Wonderful girl!" Han remarked to Luke, who crouched next to him around the corner. He leaned out for another round of fire, then ducked back to face his companion. "Either I'm going to kill her, or I'm beginning to like her!"

Luke shrugged, probably thinking mostly the same thing. As Han provided covering fire, Luke jumped for the hole in the wall.

Almost positive he was going to regret this, Han backed up to the hole, pouring searing bolts of concentrated light from his blaster, and dove in, not knowing what awaited him.

* * *

Obi-Wan's rush for the garage passage was stopped by a voice from the past.

"I've been waiting for you, Obi-Wan," a voice he knew nearly as well as his own said behind him, tinged with dark anticipation and menace.

Obi-Wan slowly turned around to see the man he still thought of as Anakin Skywalker standing behind him, clad in a black Imperial uniform with no insignia, only a bit of silver trim on the cuffs and the collar. A long black cloak hung from his shoulders, and a black lightsaber hilt was gripped in his gloved fist, inactive for now. Anakin's face, twenty years older than the last time he'd seen it in person, was set in a grim expression, blue eyes glaring out at the Jedi Master. With his hair cut short in a severe style, he kept almost no traces of the fiery young man he'd once been, the man who'd been Obi-Wan's apprentice and later friend, ally in a hundred battles.

"It has been a long time," Obi-Wan Kenobi said to his old friend.

"Too long," Darth Vader said to his old enemy.

The two men stood in silence for a few moments longer, memories of the past swirling through both their heads as they faced each other down as enemies for the second time. The lights of the palace garage flickered above them, casting harsh shadows in the corners of the cavernous room and around the ferrocrete pillars that supported the level above. The garage was empty except for the Royal Family's speeders and limousines, a few maintenance droids the only spectators to the stand-off.

Vader finally ignited his lightsaber, issuing forth a ruby-red blade. He raised his chin, glaring over at Obi-Wan with arrogance and disdain in his eyes. "When I left you, I was but the learner," he said. "Now _I_ am the master."

Obi-Wan sighed resignedly, igniting his own lightsaber. "Only a master of evil, _Darth,_" he replied, emphasizing his former student's title.

Vader's lips quirked in a momentary sneer before he surged forward in a Force-enhanced leap, lightsaber swinging even as he landed. Obi-Wan blocked the heavy slash with his own lightsaber, backing up a step before striking himself.

The two of them were twenty years older than they'd been in their last duel, and only Vader was still capable of the kind of speed at which they'd moved during the confrontation on Mustafar. Obi-Wan was pushing sixty, but life on Tatooine had forced him to stay in shape. In addition, Obi-Wan had a greater command of the Force now than ever before, and this enabled him to keep up with Vader as the two of them dueled around the garage.

Vader whirled his scarlet blade through a furious pattern of slashes and thrusts, moving almost unpredictably as he pressed his former teacher backwards. He'd had twenty years to practice for this fight, and he'd not wasted them. Despite his dark leanings, it could not be denied that Anakin was now a master of both lightsaber combat and the Force, greater than any of the old Jedi Order he'd destroyed, perhaps even Yoda.

But Obi-Wan still had the advantages of both experience and detailed knowledge of his former student's mind. Vader might think he was unpredictable, but Obi-Wan could see each strike, each slash and each thrust almost before Vader thought of them himself.

Five times in rapid succession the Jedi and Sith Masters crossed blades, a furious flurry that almost could not be followed with the naked eye. Vader slashed low, and Obi-Wan managed to leap over it, ignoring the protestations of his legs. He winced as something twinged in his knee upon his landing; he wouldn't be doing that again.

Vader slashed horizontally with his blade and knocked Obi-Wan's saber aside through sheer physical force. He whirled with the momentum to bring his boot up in a solid kick to Obi-Wan's chest, and the Jedi Master stumbled backwards, groaning.

"Your powers are weak, old man!" Vader sneered at him, advancing across the space between them and slashing repeatedly.

Obi-Wan blocked every one of his blows, his expression serene. "You can't win, Darth," he calmly informed the Dark Lord in the midst of the exchange. "If you strike me down, I shall become more powerful than you can possibly imagine."

Vader made a sound that was half scoff and half shout of challenge as he pressed forward, swinging his lightsaber with all the power he could muster.

* * *

"The garbage chute was a really wonderful idea, Princess!" Han said sardonically to Leia. "What an incredible smell you've discovered!"

The four of them stood in a square room, about six meters on a side, which was perhaps a quarter full of refuse whose composition Luke decided he'd rather not think about. Han was right; the odor was certainly… distinct, to say the least.

Leia pointed with her blaster back up at the hole through which they'd fallen. "You want to go back up there? Be my guest!" she snapped.

"I just might," Han countered. "I don't see any other way out of here." He waved at the rusty green walls and various bits of garbage which surrounded them. "Y'know, it's not going to take 'em long to figure out what happened to us. They're gonna turn this thing on any minute." He looked over at Mara, who was, along with Luke, looking for a way out of the tiny, smelly room. "What is this, anyway, a garbage masher?"

"An incinerator," the Rebel informed him, nudging a pile of garbage out of the way with her boot. "But there's a service hatch around here somewhere."

"_Incinerator?_" Han demanded as if he hadn't heard her last statement. He rounded on the princess, pointing at her with an incredulous finger. "That's literally out of the frying pan and into the fire!"

"I didn't see you coming up with any better ideas," Leia shot back.

Han gestured back up at the hole at the top of the room. "Look, Your Highnessness, I had everything under control until you led us down here!"

"Sure you did," Leia said derisively. She looked around the small room, which was silent except for their argument and Luke and Mara shifting through the trash. "It could be worse."

Almost as if triggered by her words, a dull _fwoosh_ sounded from the far end of the room and the temperature increased by several degrees.

"It's worse," Han said, looking over at the source of the noise. "Hey, Red," he said in Mara's direction, eyes locked on the noise, "how does this thing work?"

"Radiation," she replied, gesturing to the walls. "The walls heat up until the garbage combusts."

"Ha!" Han said, looking around the incinerator desperately. "I don't know about any of you, but I don't plan on _combusting_ anytime soon. Find us a way out of here or it's extra crispy for all of us!" He pointed at Luke. "Start cutting with your laser sword, kid! One of these walls has to go somewhere." He pulled at his collar, already sweating.

Luke pulled his lightsaber from his belt, sweating himself. "But where? I don't know which one of these has the service hatch!"

"Do _something_," Han shouted, pointedly wiping some sweat from his brow.

"I think I've got something!" Leia called from the other side of the chamber, where she was pulling trash aside with her hands wrapped in the lower edge of her gown. Mara quickly joined her, kicking the already-hot garbage aside as fast as she could.

Han stepped over and, with one quick motion, ripped the hood from Leia's gown, eliciting a briefly surprised look before he wrapped it around his hands and began shoveling debris away from what was looking increasingly like a hatch.

With the four of them working together, they quickly had the hatch cleared, but when Han tried the handle, it broke off in his hand. He hurled it against the far wall with a _clang_.

"Of course!" he yelled in frustration. His eyes widened suddenly as a bit of garbage erupted with flame at the other end of the small chamber. He turned back and gave the door a solid kick, but got no results other than a _clang_ and a bruised toe.

Leia fixed him with an ironic look. "Feel better?" she asked sarcastically.

"Yeah!" Han snapped back. "Fantastic!"

Luke impatiently shoved the Corellian aside and ignited his lightsaber, sweat pouring into his eyes. The chamber was hotter than double noon on Tatooine now, he thought as he thrust the shining sapphire blade into the edge of the hatch all the way up to the hilt. He moved it around the edge of the small oval opening, working as quickly as he could. The door was thick and resisted his lightsaber, but nothing could long hold out against the blade of a Jedi's weapon; in only a few seconds, he'd made it most of the way around.

"Hurry it up, kid," Han panted, his hair and shirt almost entirely soaked with perspiration. More garbage burst into flame behind them.

"Almost…there," Luke grunted, blinking stinging drops out of his eyes.

Eternal seconds later, Luke succeeded in making a complete circle with his lightsaber. As soon as he had deactivated the blade, Mara spun in a tight kick and knocked the hatch out of the way, flooding the roasting chamber with slightly cooler air from the passage beyond. The four of them jumped out of the incinerator just as the temperature reached its highest point yet and the garbage burst into flame behind them, along with the lower edge of Leia's gown and the back of Han's vest.

The smuggler rolled along the stone floor of the maintenance hallway, trying to smother the flames as Luke and Mara did the same for Leia. Han leaped up and whipped off his vest, beating it against the wall as Mara produced a small knife and quickly sliced away the flaming section of Leia's gown. She hurled it back through the door of the incinerator, where it vanished in a puff of ash an instant later.

The four of them scrambled away from the open incinerator, and once they could no longer feel its heat, they collapsed in a heap across the blessedly cool stone of the hallway.

* * *

At the landing pad a few blocks from the palace where the _Millennium Falcon_ waited, Chewbacca paced impatiently in front of the open ramp of the ship. Han and the others should have been here by now!

The night sky was draped overhead like a jeweled blanket, beckoning the Wookiee up and away from the Imperials. Chewbacca had no love for the Empire, like most of its sensible citizens, but his was a special kind of hatred, since an Imperial bureaucrat had readily accepted his illegal sale from a Trandoshan slave-trader.

Despite the Emperor's galaxy-wide ban on slavery - one of the few things Chewbacca could grudgingly respect about him - it still went on in the less-policed sectors of the galaxy, wherever anyone sadistic enough to make a profit off their fellow sentient beings thought they could get away with it.

Still, Chewbacca reflected as he watched all approaches to the landing pad with anxious eyes, despite his mistreatment, he never would have met Han otherwise, and he did not regret his association with the cocky smuggler.

Now if he would just hurry up and get here! Chewbacca knew it would be difficult enough getting out of the Alderaan system with Vader's fleet lurking around in orbit, but it would be doubly hard if the Star Destroyers knew they were coming.

His sharp ears picked up multiple running footsteps, and he saw the shapes a moment later, moving quickly towards him. His first impression was the color white, and Chewbacca raised his bowcaster, hoping they weren't stormtroopers.

He saw hair in the next instant as the rapidly moving group of people passed under a glowlamp a dozen meters or so from the _Falcon_, and Chewbacca lowered his weapon as he recognized Winter and Bail Organa. He growled an urgent interrogative as the two humans he recognized and several more he did not hurried up to the _Falcon_. Bail and the others went right up the ramp without pausing, but Winter stopped to talk to Chewbacca.

"I'm sorry, I don't understand you," she said politely, looking up at the towering Wookiee.

Chewbacca grunted in frustration and bellowed up the ramp for the protocol droid to come over.

"Oh, what is it, Chewbacca?" Threepio demanded as he shuffled down the ramp. "Your howling is going to alert the Empire!"

Chewbacca gruffly told the droid to shut up and growled his earlier question at him, indicating that he translate.

Threepio looked over at Winter with as close to an expression of pride as he could manage with his immobile metal face. "I would be happy to translate," the droid said unhurriedly. "I am fluent in more than six million forms of communication, and I-"

Chewbacca irritably cut him off, growling his question _again._

Threepio looked up at him indignantly. "There's no call for your barbaric behavior, you half-witted oaf! Alderaan is a civilized planet and we have certain-"

Increasingly agitated, Chewbacca bared his fangs and roared in the protocol droid's face, causing him to emit an electronic squeak of terror.

Winter's unflappable calm hadn't wavered an iota during the display, and she gently touched Threepio's metal arm. "What did he say?" she asked him.

With a last, suspicious look at Chewbacca, Threepio turned to the Alderaanian woman and attempted to compose himself. "Chewbacca inquired as to the location of Captain Solo and the others."

"We were separated in the tunnels," Winter replied, looking up at Chewbacca. "They should be right behind us."

Threepio turned to Chewbacca and began to repeat Winter's statement in growls and barks, before the Wookiee cuffed the droid on the back and irritably replied that he understood _her_ just fine.

He asked if Winter and the others had been followed. Threepio's translation: "Chewbacca wishes to know if you avoided detection, or if there is perhaps a possibility that you were pursued here by the agents of the Empire."

The Wookiee frowned at the droid.

"No, we weren't," Winter answered. "I made sure of it. We can take off as soon as Princess Leia and the others arrive."

Chewbacca looked over her head at the dark city beyond, softly murmuring to himself.

Threepio dutifully relayed what he had said. "Chewbacca says that he hopes they arrive soon, though he was rather coarse in his choice of language."

The Wookiee irritably smacked the droid on the back, hard enough to knock him a few steps up the ramp.

"I'm only trying to do my job," Threepio said in a hurt tone, causing Chewbacca to slowly lean over and bare his fangs at the droid. Threepio squeaked in terror again and scuttled back into the _Falcon_, greeted with electronic ridicule from R2-D2.

Winter quietly slipped past him, and Chewbacca returned to his vigil, silently wishing his friends speed.

* * *

Han looked warily around a corner, and upon seeing no one in the featureless stretch of hallway, waved the others over.

"Now, if we can just avoid any more female advice," he remarked, "we ought to be able to get outta here."

The princess's eyes flared with irritation, and she shoved past Mara, headed right for Han. Luke wisely edged away from him, not wanting to catch any shrapnel.

Leia glared at the smuggler and stepped in front of him. "Listen," she snapped, "I don't know who you are or where you came from, but from now on, you do as _I_ tell you, okay?"

Han looked incredulously over at Luke, and, finding no support there, turned back to Leia. "Look, Your Worshipfulness," he said indignantly, "let's get one thing straight. I take orders from just one person." He pointed to himself with one hand. "Me!"

"It's a wonder you're still alive," Leia replied dryly. "Let's go," she said to the others, walking at a brisk pace off down the corridor without looking back.

"No reward is worth this," Han muttered to himself, glancing over at Luke.

The young Jedi shrugged and gave him a _you asked for it_ expression, moving off to try and catch up to the princess. Mara just smirked at him.

Han paused to sigh to himself, then followed._  
_

* * *

Several minutes later, as they finally neared the garage, Luke heard an unmistakable sound: that of one lightsaber crashing against another. He increased speed, dreading what he'd see ahead, and stopped short at the place where the corridor opened up into the wide, cavernous garage. Ahead, a bright red light and a similar blue one immediately attracted his attention.

"Ben?" he said softly, looking over at the crossed lightsabers.

His master stood locked in combat with none other than Darth Vader, an expression of concentration on his bearded face. Obi-Wan was wounded in a few places, and pain hid at the edges of his face, but he'd managed to land a few hits on his opponent, as well. A damaged system in Vader's mechanical arm shot sparks periodically, and his long black cloak was in tatters, a large section next to his wounded arm sliced out in a wide slash.

Han's eyes widened as he saw what Luke was looking at, and he slapped the young Jedi's shoulder, gesturing quickly at the large door on the far side of the wide room, past several sets of pillars and a few ornate speeders.

Luke drew his lightsaber, intending to run over and help his master, but just then one of the speeders flew from the ground and flipped end over end to smash into the ferrocrete pillar behind Luke.

He was surprised; he hadn't thought Vader had seen them. He prepared to launch a speeder of his own right back, but a hand grabbed his collar and dragged him in the direction of the exit.

"Come on, kid!" Han said urgently. "We gotta go!"

Luke tugged free. "No! I have to help him!"

Han shouted in surprise as another speeder rolled over and tumbled at them. He tackled Luke out of the way, just as it was about to run the two of them over, but Luke's eyes were locked on the duel between Jedi and Sith, and he still struggled to run over even as he got up.

The smuggler grabbed him around the chest with one arm and held him back. "There's nothing you can do, kid!" he said. "You wanna get killed, too?"

"Let me go!" Luke shouted, struggling.

Their shouting finally attracted Obi-Wan's attention, and he paused, locking blades with the Dark Lord. He glanced over Vader's shoulder at them, his gaze stopping on Luke.

Han pulled the young Jedi out of the way of another flying speeder, this one smashing into the pillar beside the two men with the intent to crush them. The smuggler used his greater strength to pull Luke along for the exit, a resigned expression on his face, but still Luke struggled, determined to help his master.

Obi-Wan smiled sadly at him, still holding the Dark Lord back, and he suddenly broke away from Vader, stepping aside so that Vader's back faced Luke and Han. With a final sigh, he held his lightsaber up in front of himself in a gesture of surrender.

Vader shouted furiously and swept his lightsaber viciously through his old teacher, cutting the Jedi Master's robe in half.

But, Obi-Wan was mysteriously no longer in it, and the empty robe dropped to the ground along with his lightsaber.

"NO!" Luke shouted in shock, finally tugging free of Han's grip.

He couldn't believe what he'd just seen, couldn't believe that the Sith Master had just killed the man he considered his father rather than the monstrosity who had done the deed.

Vader stepped forward and prodded the empty robe with his boot, lightsaber still ignited in his hand. Slowly, he turned and looked back at the young Jedi, a curious expression on his face as Anakin and Luke Skywalker locked eyes for the first time, each seeing an odd reflection of himself.

Han jerked Luke away, breaking the eye contact. "Come _on_, kid!" he shouted in Luke's ear, shaking him.

Luke shook his head, clearing away the odd feeling that had come over him as he had looked into Vader's eyes, so similar to his own. He glanced over at the door to see Leia and Mara waiting, waving him on.

_Run, Luke!_ Obi-Wan's voice said in his mind, perhaps his imagination. _Run!_

Sensing the Sith Master's dark presence focusing on him, Luke sprinted for the door, trying to ignore the sound of running footsteps belonging to no one friendly to him drawing closer.

Han drew past him in the final dash for the exit, and he shot the control panel on his way in with a quick bolt from his blaster. Luke jumped headlong through the rapidly closing blast doors, rolling to his feet as they slammed closed with a deep _clang_ behind him.

He pulled himself up and ran with the others, pushing down his sorrow. Vader was right behind them, and if he didn't want to suffer the same fate as his master, Luke knew he had to hurry.

_I'm sorry, Ben_.

* * *

-/\\-


	6. I,6: The Truth, or Something Like It

-/\\-

* * *

**Six**  
(The Truth, or Something Like It)

Alerted to their presence, Imperial Stormtroopers chased Luke, Han, Leia, and Mara all the way back to the _Millennium Falcon_.

The four of them sprinted through the streets of Aldera City, pausing only to shoot back at the troopers. Mara was by far the most accurate, picking off a pursuer with practically every shot. Luke kept his lightsaber activated, batting the red bolts of energy back at the troopers in an attempt to keep the others covered whenever they stopped to shoot.

"Get her ready, Chewie!" Han shouted into his comlink, ducking behind a large crate as an Imperial blaster bolt blew the top of it off. "We're coming in hot!"

Leia jumped out from behind her cover and sprinted across the street, firing three times as she ran. Two stormtroopers dropped with smoking holes in their armor, but they had plenty more behind them, seeming almost like ants swarming down the streets of Aldera.

Luke jumped acrobatically to avoid an incoming blaster bolt, his shining sapphire lightsaber leaping out upon his landing to deflect a bolt headed for Mara.

"Thanks," she said quickly, leaning under the blade to fire several shots in rapid succession. A trooper dropped for every bolt, and Luke nodded appreciatively, lightsaber held at the ready as he ran after her.

After what seemed like hours but was really only minutes, the four of them rounded a corner to see the welcome sight of the _Millennium Falcon_ waiting for them, engines rumbling impatiently. Winter was waiting for them at the top of the lowered ramp, and Chewbacca's enormous furry shape was visible through the cockpit windows; both beckoned them aboard with urgent waving.

As Leia and Han charged up the ramp, the smuggler heading immediately up to the cockpit, Luke and Mara continued their sprint, the red-haired Rebel firing behind her as she ran and the young Jedi running backwards, swatting blaster bolts away from himself with his blade.

Seeing Mara dive up the ramp behind him, Luke began to turn around to run at top speed, but just then he noticed some stormtroopers scrambling to a stop, attempting to set up an E-Web blaster cannon.

Luke waved for Han to take off, and the _Falcon _slowly lifted into the air, but as the bottom of the still-extended ramp reached three meters off the ground, Luke hurled his lightsaber at the blaster cannon, sending it into a spin.

The young Jedi back-flipped three meters into the air, landing on the edge of the _Falcon's_ ramp as his thrown saber spun through the E-Web and the stormtroopers manning it. With a tug of the Force, the lightsaber flew back into Luke's hand just as the ramp began to close.

Moving slowly against the terrific acceleration as the _Falcon_ screamed out of Alderaan's atmosphere, Luke made his way into the common area, looking around at the faces which suddenly turned to watch him approach.

"Nice timing, kid!" Han called back from the cockpit. "I thought we were gonna leave you behind there for a second."

Bail Organa looked over at Luke from his seat behind the dejarik board next to his wife and Leia. "Where is Master Kenobi?" he asked, looking behind Luke.

The young Jedi shook his head sadly, dropping into the nearest chair. He buckled his crash webbing, bracing himself as Han made a sharp turn to avoid fire from a Star Destroyer in orbit.

"Vader killed him," Leia said quietly. "He sacrificed himself so we could get away."

Bail's face fell, as did those of everyone else aboard. Even the droids managed to look downcast. Mara was within reach of Luke, and she reached out to pat his shoulder reassuringly. He glanced up at her, nodding gratefully.

"Hey, Red!" Han shouted from the cockpit. "You and Luke get into the turrets! We're not outta here yet!"

Mara touched Luke's shoulder, unbuckling her crash webbing, and she gestured to the ladder leading to the _Falcon_'s quad-lasers. Luke followed her, going down as she went up, and he dropped into the chair below him, settling himself in.

The controls for the turrets were fairly simple and extremely responsive, as Luke discovered when he experimented a little, trying to get a feel for the weapon. The viewport outside the turret provided an expansive view of Alderaan below and the _Falcon_'s ventral side. It also gave Luke a good look at a squad of approaching TIE fighters, spherical cockpits wedged between two large rectangular solar panels.

Luke pulled on the headset he saw hanging on a small hook off to his side and turned it on, providing him a link with Mara as well as the cockpit.

"_Two from above,_" Mara's voice said in his ear.

"_Watch out for the two coming up behind us,_" Han warned. _"I'll try and hold her steady, but there's a lot of fire out here._"

"Got it," Luke said, dropping both hands down to the firing controls. A green lance of turbolaser fire shot past his viewport as if to punctuate Han's statement, making Luke avert his eyes from its blinding brilliance.

When he recovered, Luke swung his turret around and pumped a quick series of bolts at the nearest TIE fighter, which swerved out of the way before answering with a few green bolts of its own.

As Han flipped the _Falcon_ on its side to avoid more turbolaser fire from the surrounding Star Destroyers, Luke suddenly found himself in the perfect vector to fire at one of the buzzing TIE fighters, swarming like gnats around the freighter. He squeezed the firing controls and splashed laser fire over its solar panel, making the fighter lose control and spin crazily to one side.

From above, with a withering barrage of bolts, Mara drove another TIE fighter into the one Luke had wounded. The two fighters vanished in a bright fireball, but the defenders had already moved on to their next targets.

Luke pursued a TIE with a hail of bolts from his turret, but the pilot was surprisingly skillful and managed to avoid them, spinning his blocky-winged fighter through a dizzying series of maneuvers. Finally, though, he swerved to avoid a turbolaser shot and ran right into Luke's pattern of fire, erupting in a fiery explosion.

"Ha! Gotcha!" Luke crowed, already moving on for his next target.

Above, Mara quickly blasted away another TIE fighter with deadly-accurate fire, impressing Luke once again with her marksmanship. Did the girl _ever_ miss?

In the cockpit, Han and Chewbacca twisted the _Falcon_ though a dizzying corkscrew, green turbolasers blurring with black space and the shining blue jewel of Alderaan below as the smuggler and the Wookiee maneuvered their battered old freighter as though it were a nimble fighter. Luke had to close his eyes to avoid being sick.

When their flight finally stabilized, Luke saw with surprise that more than a dozen Star Destroyers besides the _Executor_ had gathered around Alderaan.

"_They really mean business!_" Han said from the cockpit. Chewbacca roared agreement. "_Hold on, kids, we're going to try to break the blockade. Shoot whenever you can._"

"_Acknowledged,"_ Mara said from above. The dull thump of her turret resumed a few moments later, punctuated by two quick explosions as she somehow kept firing accurately despite Han's wild maneuvering.

Luke slowed his breathing, half-closing his eyes as he opened himself up to the Force. His hands moved the controls of his turret, his senses sharpening to the point that time itself almost seemed to move slower. He could hear every sound in the ship, down to the servomotors in Threepio's arms as he bickered with Artoo even now, and even the slow, steady breathing of Mara in the turret above him as she methodically picked off TIE fighters. He could sense her in the Force, he realized, drawing on it perhaps unconsciously as she focused with laser precision on her task.

His momentary distraction only lasted a second of real time, and Luke pulled himself back to his turret, letting the Force flow through him. He saw the enemy fighters through the Force, could sense the pilots inside, and squeezed the firing controls, spraying bolts out in a seemingly random pattern. A few of the pilots ignored his fire, and this proved to be a costly mistake. The Imperial pilots did not waver their formation even slightly, and thus several of them flew right into the bolts Luke had fired, which struck their weak points with uncanny accuracy. Five fighters blew apart in as many seconds, some catching their wingmates in their explosions.

"Double the front deflectors," Han said to Chewie in the cockpit, probably unaware Luke could hear them. "As soon as we make it past the _Executor_, get ready to jump to lightspeed. We'll have to do a couple random jumps after that to throw 'em off our trail, and then…" The smuggler paused for a moment, and Luke could almost see him shrug. "I don't know, I guess we'll head for the Rebel base, wherever it is. We're in this now whether we like it or not_._"

Chewbacca growled something affirmative, flipping switches as he did so.

Above, Mara blasted two more TIE fighters, swiveling her turret in pursuit of a third. "_One coming your way, Luke_," she said through the headset.

Luke acknowledged, lining the fighter up in his sights, and just as he fired, Mara did the same. Both their shots hit the Imperial fighter at the same time, and the combined fire ripped through the fighter's propulsion system, making it spin out of control before blowing apart.

"_That's the last one I see in range,_" Mara said. "_We're coming up on the blockade._"

Han flipped the _Falcon_ in a tight barrel roll, dodging turbolaser fire from Vader's flagship, and with a sudden roar from the freighter's powerful engines, they shot forward at an incredible rate of speed, almost too fast for the gunners on the _Executor_ to track.

Even pushing the sublight engines as fast as they would go, it still took several moments to fly along the length of the massive Super Star Destroyer, and the gunners on the flagship shot as fast as they could, trying to catch the surprisingly agile freighter. Luke and Mara shot back at the heavy guns, occasionally managing to hit one and throw its bolts off course, and almost faster than they realized, they were suddenly past the huge cobalt warship.

"Hit it!" Han said, and Chewbacca growled as he pulled back the hyperspace lever. The stars blurred and warped around them, and the _Millennium Falcon_ vanished.

* * *

Darth Vader stared at the flashes high above through the front viewport of his shuttle as his fleet tried to stop the YT-1300 from escaping. The pilot shifted nervously at the close proximity of the Sith Master, but Vader ignored him, following the freighter with both his eyes and the Force.

He could sense the young man he'd seen in the garage aboard it, drawing deeply on the Force as he concentrated. He was certainly powerful, that much was for certain. Though the boy's skills were still rough and unrefined, Vader could sense that Obi-Wan's student had great potential, perhaps even equal to that of the Sith Master himself. He had never before encountered another Force-sensitive so close to his own power - aside from Darth Nova - and Vader was intrigued.

Who was this young man? Where had Obi-Wan found him?

Vader frowned as he thought about his old teacher. Killing Obi-Wan had not brought him the satisfaction he had thought it would, and the whole encounter had tipped him too far into the Dark Side. He would have to spend several hours in meditation once he got back to the _Executor_ to attempt to bring himself back into balance. But seeing Obi-Wan again had brought up a whole host of painful memories, and Vader's thoughts were clouded, causing him to lose track of the Corellian freighter as it finally managed to evade the fleet and jumped to hyperspace.

Moments later, the comm unit activated, displaying the blue-skinned face and pressed white uniform of Grand Admiral Thrawn. "_My apologies, Lord Vader,_" Thrawn said. "_The fugitives managed to escape us._"

Vader waved a hand dismissively, distractedly staring at the point where the freighter bearing Obi-Wan's student had vanished. "No matter," he replied. "My agent is aboard their ship. I will follow their homing beacon with the _Executor_ once I arrive."

"_Shall we accompany you, Lord Vader?_" Thrawn asked. "_With the Organas aboard, they will likely head for the Rebel base. I can have the fleet ready to leave within the hour."_

"No," Vader said, looking down at Thrawn's screen. "Remain here and stabilize the situation. I will pursue the Rebels; the _Executor_ is more than capable of destroying the Rebel base by itself."

Thrawn nodded sharply. "_As you wish, my lord,_" he said.

Vader leaned over and cut the connection, and the small screen went black. He turned to the pilot. "Alert the _Executor_ to come about and make ready to enter hyperspace," he said. "I want to leave as soon as we come aboard."

The pilot nodded crisply, reaching for the comm unit as he replied. "Yes, my lord."

Vader straightened and went to the back of the shuttle, intending to try to fix his damaged arm before they arrived. He preferred to work on his prosthetic himself, not that he distrusted the technicians aboard his flagship; he was simply more skilled than they were.

He frowned again as he sat down and pulled up his sleeve, pulling off his glove next. Why had Obi-Wan surrendered? More importantly, why had he vanished upon his death? He'd never seen anything like that happen upon a Jedi's death before, and he'd been present for dozens of them, many at his own hand.

Vader pulled out Obi-Wan's lightsaber and stared at it, all that was left of the old Jedi Master. What had he meant when he said he would become more powerful upon his death? Had he discovered some hidden secret of the Force during his exile? Had he taught it to his student, whoever he was?

The Sith Master adjusted a damaged system in his arm, thinking again of Obi-Wan's mysterious pupil. There had been something oddly familiar about the young man, some kind of connection he'd sensed when their eyes had met across the garage.

Vader decided to devote his resources to uncovering the young man's identity. Once his agent was finally able to report in without violating cover, he would have more information, but he had no idea how long that would take. Direct communication would be too risky, so the agent would likely record a message and leave it somewhere for Vader to find.

Until then, he was left with a mystery, and he hated mysteries.

* * *

"All right," Han said, walking back into the common area of his ship, "we're on course for those coordinates you gave me. I made a few random jumps, so they shouldn't be able to track us."

Leia nodded gratefully. "Thank you, Captain Solo," she said.

Han briefly considered asking her to call him by his first name, but with her parents sitting right next to her, he decided it wouldn't be a good idea. He still grinned but said, "Thanks, Princess," instead.

"We are very grateful to you, Captain Solo," Queen Breha said. "We owe you our lives."

And some money, Han thought, but didn't say out loud. Instead, he just grinned again. As Leia's parents looked back at their daughter, Han thought to himself that it was odd how she didn't really look like either of them or any of Breha's sisters. Maybe she took after her father's side of the family.

Han saw Luke sitting in one of the chairs next to the console, looking pretty depressed, and he walked over to give the kid a consoling pat on the shoulder. "Hey, sorry about Obi-Wan," he said. "He was a crazy old fossil, but he was a good guy. I was sorry to see him go like that."

Luke nodded, attempting to smile but not quite making it. "Thanks, Han," he said quietly.

"Another reason to hate Darth Vader," Leia said bitterly. "I cannot believe that man was ever Anakin Skywalker."

Han frowned. He didn't really want to bring it up, but it had to be said. "Speaking of Skywalkers," he said, looking down at Luke, "I think you've got some explaining to do, kid."

Mara looked over at Han curiously. "What do you mean?" she said, straightening from where she had been leaning against the dejarik table.

Luke heaved a sad sigh, looking over at the others. "My name is Luke Skywalker," he said. "Anakin Skywalker is my…" He paused, obviously uncomfortable. "He's my father."

"What?!" Leia, Mara, and Winter said simultaneously.

Han noted Bail Organa's lack of surprise; Queen Breha also did not react.

"How is that possible?" Leia said, looking at Luke. "I thought Jedi didn't have children."

Luke shifted in his seat, looking down at the deck plating. "Well, Anakin was never a conventional Jedi, was he?" he said bitterly. He glanced up at the others briefly before returning his gaze to a spot on the floor. "Obi-Wan told me about it," he said quietly. "Anakin married my mother in secret, and nobody knew about the marriage until he…" He trailed off. "Obi-Wan says he was there when I was born, and he brought me to Tatooine to keep me away from Vader and Palpatine. I don't think Vader knows about me."

"Who was your mother?" Winter asked gently, her calm returned.

"Obi-Wan said her name was Padmé," Luke replied. "She was from Naboo."

"You don't mean… Senator Amidala, do you?" Leia asked, surprised. "I've heard rumors that she was pregnant when she died, but…" She shook her head. "I didn't know they were true. Anakin Skywalker was really her husband?"

Luke nodded silently.

Han had been watching Leia's parents during the conversation, and noted that both had remained conspicuously unsurprised.

Mara shook her head in disbelief. "I can't believe Darth Vader is your father," she said, looking at Luke.

Luke jumped to his feet, anger on his face. "That monster is _not_ my father!" he said vehemently. "As far as I'm concerned, Anakin died in the Purges, and that… that _creature_ just has his face."

Mara held up her hands. "Okay, okay. You're right."

Luke sighed, looking over at her with an apologetic expression. "I'm sorry," he said. "I shouldn't have yelled at you. It's not your fault."

Mara shrugged. "Hey, it's all right. I'd be upset about it, too."

Leia rose from her seat and walked over to Luke, placing a comforting hand on his shoulder. "I'm sorry," she said. "I can only imagine how hard this must be for you."

Luke nodded quietly, trying to smile gratefully, but Han's attention was still fixed on Bail. The Viceroy's face became studiously neutral, as did his wife's, and Han's eyes narrowed in suspicion; the two of them _definitely_ knew something, and were doing their best to hide it.

"How much longer is it to Yavin?" Bail asked.

"'Nother few hours," Han said, glancing at one of the small screens on the console behind Luke. "There's cabins in the back, if you want to get some rest."

"I think we will," Bail said, standing. "Please, excuse us." He and Breha left, going off to the back where Leia's aunts already were.

Han also decided to leave, and he gestured for Mara to follow him into the cockpit. Once they were inside, Han sat down next to Chewbacca and swiveled his chair to face the back of the room.

"Close the door," he said as Mara entered. She punched a button on the frame, and the cockpit door hissed closed.

"Okay, Red," he said once she sat down in the chair behind him. "You were stationed on Alderaan for a while, right?" She nodded, and he leaned forward in his chair slightly. "How much do you know about the Organas?"

Mara shrugged. "Not much. I wasn't assigned to the palace; that was Winter's position. She's been Leia's servant for most of her life, and she joined the Rebellion at about the same time the Princess did. The whole movement was partially Bail's idea anyway, so I don't think he was surprised when Leia asked him if she could join. She's been using her position as Senator to help consolidate the various cells into one organization."

"How much do you know about Leia?" Han asked.

Mara shrugged again. "You know her about as well as I do. Winter would be the better person to ask."

Han leaned back in his chair. "All right," he said. "Thanks anyway, Red. You can go."

Mara nodded and left, her footsteps almost military-regular as she went back into the main area of the ship.

Chewbacca asked Han what he was thinking.

"Ah, nothing," Han replied. "I think Bail is hiding something, but it's probably none of my business." He swiveled his chair around, staring out at the swirling blue tunnel of hyperspace. "So," he said to his friend, "what are we going to do once we get to Yavin? Find a place to lay low for a while?"

Chewbacca barked a reply, woofing softly as he glanced down at one of the readouts.

Han frowned. "Yeah, I figured you'd say that. I think we should look up Doc and Jessa, maybe hide out with them for a while. I've been thinking about having them augment our shields again; we could use a little extra protection on the back quarter, especially."

The Wookiee growled reprovingly, looking over at Han.

"Oh, don't give me that," Han said, not meeting his friend's eyes. "We're not revolutionaries. I don't think we should get involved."

Chewbacca said Han's name in his language quietly, murmuring a further phrase.

Han groaned, turning to glance back through the cockpit doorway. "Ah, they don't need us," he said. "And we don't need them. We're in enough trouble anyway." He drummed his fingers on his knee. "Jabba's probably posted a bounty on us already. You know he'll get Fett for the job, and that guy is bad news."

All the more reason to stay with the Rebellion, Chewie said, growling quietly. Where else were they going to find a better place to hide?

Han sighed, blowing air out through his teeth. "I don't know," he said finally. "I'll think about it."

* * *

Vader sat cross-legged in the middle of the main room of his quarters, looking at the wall covered with lightsabers, most specifically at the newest addition, that of Obi-Wan Kenobi's.

The lights were off, and he sat in blue-tinted darkness, the only light in the black-decorated room coming from the viewport on one wall, showing the coruscating tunnel of hyperspace.

_You are troubled,_ a voice said in his mind.

Vader was briefly surprised before he recognized the Jedi he'd captured aboard Princess Leia's ship. _I am_, he answered silently, surprised that she had been able to sense his thoughts.

_It's not like it was hard to tell,_ Malysa Kolos thought to him. _You're not exactly hiding it. I'm surprised the whole ship can't sense it._

Vader was silent for a moment, thinking on what to do. She'd never willingly initiated a conversation before, and he didn't want to waste the opportunity. Was she finally beginning to see things his way? He knew he would have to be careful.

_Things on Alderaan did not go as I expected,_ he answered finally, deciding to be honest. _I was not able to maintain my balance._

_What do you mean?_ Malysa asked.

_I let the Dark Side control my actions more than I should have,_ Vader replied. _Even after this long, balance is still difficult. But,_ he continued_, that is the way of the Force. You must keep yourself at the dividing line between Dark and Light, and not let yourself be pulled too far in either direction, for neither side holds all the answers._

Malysa was silent for a long moment, though he did not sense her withdrawing from the contact. _So,_ she 'said' finally, _you think the Dark Side and the Light Side are two halves of a greater whole?_

_Correct,_ Vader answered.

_So why do you use the name of the Sith? They are dedicated to following the Dark Side. That's hardly a balance._

_I am truly neither Sith nor Jedi,_ Vader replied. _Neither order had the correct view of the Force, but each had pieces of the answer in their teachings. I use the Sith name and the title Darth Sidious gave me because that is what I had to do to ensure stability at the beginning of my reign. The order I have established are not true Sith, not as Palpatine would have trained them, if he cultivated other followers at all._

_An ancient Sith Lord instituted a teaching called the Rule of Two to conceal his order from the Jedi,_ Vader continued. _This meant that for a thousand years, only two Sith were ever in existence at a time: a Master and an Apprentice. It was the duty of the Apprentice to slay the Master and take his place when he was ready, and when I still considered myself a Sith Lord I did this._

_You killed Palpatine?_ Malysa asked in surprise. _But the Empire has always claimed that a Jedi killed him. You used that as your reason to hunt down the Jedi that survived Order 66._

_Only I knew the truth,_ Vader 'said', deciding to entrust her with the secret of how he had come into power. If he was successful, she would take it as a sign that he trusted her, and she would begin to do the same for him. _The Empire needed an enemy, something to work against to ensure its own survival, so I gave it one. Palpatine had already laid the groundwork, and I was forced to follow his plan initially. But over time, I have moved away from what he had intended the Empire to be, until now, when it is nearing what the old Republic should have been._

_Palpatine would have ruled the galaxy with an iron fist,_ Vader continued. _He would have used fear to keep the people in line. Even during the Clone Wars, he was plotting this, and he commissioned a terrible weapon capable of destroying planets. He had already begun construction of this battle station when he declared himself Emperor. I have no doubt that he would have used it._

He could sense Malysa thinking; she'd learned most of this in the archives he'd given her access to already, so she knew he was telling the truth.

_What did you do with the battle station?_ she asked him.

_I had it destroyed, _Vader answered. _I had no intention of ever using such a thing. When the man who had convinced Palpatine to build it tried to have me assassinated, I executed him. He intended to seize rulership of the Empire for himself, and I am certain he would have been as bad as Palpatine, if not worse._

_But you still use fear,_ Malysa countered. _I've seen a few of your public executions. Most citizens fear you rather than respect you._

_Only those who are hiding some disloyalty, _Vader replied. _I am trying to make the Empire the greatest civilization the galaxy has ever seen, and the constant interference of the Rebels is a threat to stability. Some people only understand force, so I must remind them occasionally that I am not afraid to use it._

_I am not the evil your Jedi Master depicted me to be,_ Vader 'said', sounding sincere. _True, I have killed Jedi; I will not deny it. But ask yourself this, Malysa: have not the Jedi tried to kill me, as well? You must have seen reports of some of the assassination attempts. If the Jedi are supposed to be an order devoted to peace, why have they tried so fervently to destroy anyone who does not share their beliefs?_

Again, the young woman did not reply, but he could sense her inner turmoil as she thought about what he had said. Wordlessly, she broke contact, but Vader knew the seed of doubt had been further watered. He had done this dozens of times before, and he knew exactly what to say to convince Jedi to his cause, especially younger ones, already having typical adolescent questions about themselves and their place in the universe.

Soon, he would have another loyal follower, and then he could concentrate his efforts on turning Obi-Wan's student. Such a powerful individual was worth twenty regular Force-sensitives, perhaps more, and the more power Vader had at his command, the larger his chance of being successful in his final objective.

* * *

The planet Yavin was a tremendous orange gas-giant, but it had several habitable moons. The Rebels had hidden themselves on the fourth of these, here in as remote a system as Han could think of, save perhaps some others on the Outer Rim. The databank said some ancient, long-forgotten people had built a series of pyramidal stone temples on Yavin IV's surface, and it was to the largest of these the Rebel flight controller directed the _Millennium Falcon_.

The saucer-shaped vessel swooped low over the leafy jungle canopy, startling a flock of avians into flight as the powerful sublight engines blasted the taller limbs in an artificial windstorm behind them.

Han and Chewbacca looked for a good place to land, following the directions of the flight controller as she switched on a locator beacon. The huge ziggurat had an expansive hangar in its lower level, but it was full of fighter craft, so Han and Chewie parked their freighter in a wide clearing the Rebels had cut outside the entrance to their hangar.

Once they had touched down, Leia came forward, still dressed in the scorched white gown missing a large section over her leg that she'd had on since Alderaan. She didn't have a change of clothes, since she'd brought nothing with her and neither had her family, and she'd politely refused Han's offer of one of his spare shirts and pants. She seemed proud of the scorch marks, almost, which looked like they had been caused by an electrical discharge of some kind.

"Thank you for bringing us here, Captain Solo," she said, looking down at him gratefully.

Han leaned back in his pilot's chair and interlaced his fingers behind his head. "Call me Han," he said, grinning. Despite the princess' occasional bursts of withering sarcasm - or perhaps because of them - he found that he was beginning to like her. She had spirit, and he had to respect that.

"All right, Han," Leia said. She looked between him and Chewbacca. "On behalf of the Alliance to Restore the Republic, I would like to offer you both the opportunity to join us. You've been a great help to us already, and we could use people of your talents."

Chewbacca growled his willingness, but said that the final decision was ultimately Han's.

The smuggler himself shrugged. "I'm still thinking about it." He dropped his hands to his knees as he leaned forward slightly. "Now, about my reward…"

Leia frowned disappointedly. "Is that all you care about, money?"

"Hey!" Han said defensively. "I'm not motivated purely by greed, Your Highnessness." He gestured upwards, in the direction of space. "I've got a pretty big debt hanging over my head, here, and if I don't pay off Jabba the Hutt, I'm a dead man."

Leia said nothing for a moment, still seeming disappointed. "Very well, Captain Solo," she said finally. "I'll see to it that you are suitably compensated."

With that, she spun on her heel and walked right out of his ship. Han started after her, but saw Bail Organa looking in his direction and decided against it. He frowned as the Alderaanians filed off the _Falcon,_ accompanied by their droids.

Han walked part of the way into the main area of the ship, but hung back when he saw Luke exchanging a quiet word with Mara, that twitterpated look on his face again. The kid had been making eyes at the red-haired Rebel since the first time he'd seen her, and Han was pretty sure he'd seen a reciprocating look or two from her occasionally. The Corellian grinned to himself. Kids.

Finally, Luke happened to glance up and see Han, and he straightened, clearing his throat embarrassedly. He extended a hand to Mara, a sudden professionalism in his tone.

"It's been nice working with you," he said, eliciting a brief confused expression from Mara until she also noticed Han.

"Likewise," she said, shaking Luke's hand with just a hint of amusement. She slung her duffel over her shoulder and walked off down the ramp, glancing once back at Luke before she set off for the huge stone temple.

Luke looked up at Han nervously, and the smuggler was unable to keep a straight face. Finally, he walked over and slapped Luke on the back, chuckling. "It's been nice working with you, junior," he said, snickering.

"Shut up," Luke said, blushing.

Han just laughed harder.

* * *

"We've triangulated the signal from the beacon, my lord. The Rebels are in the Yavin system."

"Acknowledged. Set course immediately."

* * *

-/\\-


	7. I,7: The Battle of Yavin

-/\\-

* * *

**Seven**  
(The Battle of Yavin)

"General Dodonna, I'd like you to meet Luke Skywalker," Princess Leia said, gesturing to the young Jedi.

Luke, dressed in his tan and brown robes with his lightsaber hanging from his belt in plain sight, bowed his head as the Alliance general looked him over. General Dodonna was a tall man, perhaps Obi-Wan's age or older, with a thick gray beard and hair the same color, a few steaks of his original darker color still visible here and there.

The three of them were in the 'war room' of the Rebel base at Yavin IV, a small, claustrophobic chamber lined with monitors and maps of the system. Alliance technicians murmured to each other, but it was mostly quiet around Luke, Leia, and the general.

"Leia tells me Master Kenobi was your teacher," Dodonna said, looking over at Luke with kind dark eyes. "I served with him in the Clone Wars." He lowered his voice. "And… your father as well," he said, a hint of sympathy in his tone.

"You don't have to worry about me, General," Luke said, shrugging under his long brown robe. "The way I see it, Darth Vader killed Anakin Skywalker during the Purges like he did all the other Jedi."

Dodonna nodded slowly. "I understand, son." He straightened and turned to one of the glowing displays on the wall behind them. "We could use a Jedi right now," he said. "The Empire is getting more aggressive in its pursuit, and we are hard-pressed to keep the location of our fleet a secret." He looked over at Luke. "As Leia has told you, we are gathering forces to begin confronting the Empire directly. Many on the Outer Rim are sympathetic to our cause, and we would begin our offensive by driving the Empire off of those worlds."

He placed a hand on Luke's shoulder, a serious expression on his face beneath his beard. "I am sorry to place so much responsibility on one so young, but you are the only Jedi we have at the moment, Luke. There are a hundred places we could use you."

Luke nodded. "I think I was close to the end of my training with Obi-Wan, but there's still a lot I don't know about the Force." He met Dodonna's eyes, adopting a determined expression. "I'll help out wherever I can, though. I want to defeat the Empire as much as you do."

General Dodonna smiled tightly. "I don't doubt it, son. I don't doubt it." He gestured to the exit from the war room. "I understand you're a good pilot, as well?" Luke nodded, and Dodonna patted him on the back. "All right, let's get you familiar with our fighters. Have you ever flown an X-wing before?"

* * *

"All sections indicate battle readiness, my lord," an aide reported to Darth Vader.

"Very good," the Sith Master replied. "How much further to the Yavin system?"

The aide consulted a datapad and looked back up at the Dark Lord. "Twenty minutes, my lord," he said.

Vader nodded once. "Dismissed."

The Dark Lord of the Sith clasped his hands together beneath his long black cloak and resumed his pacing along the command walkway on the bridge of the _Executor_, watching hyperspace boil and shift outside the large transparisteel viewports. The officers in the sunken crew pits on either side of the walkway glanced up at him nervously sometimes, intimidated at being in the presence of the Emperor himself, but they kept to their duties, knowing Lord Vader despised incompetence above all else.

Vader himself was preoccupied with thoughts of the young Jedi he'd encountered on Alderaan, pondering his origin. The boy radiated raw power on a level exceeded only by Galen Marek, better known to the galaxy as Darth Nova, Vader's Sith Apprentice. The Starkiller, as he'd been dubbed by some of the troops after his most spectacular act of destruction, was the only being the Sith Master had ever encountered with power close to his own.

Ordinary Force-sensitives - if any who wielded the greatest power in the universe could be called 'ordinary' - were as insects before the incredible power of Darth Nova, Obi-Wan's mysterious student, and Vader himself. The three of them working together would be completely unstoppable, Vader thought. He impatiently awaited the report from his double agent within the Rebellion so that he could learn more about the young man.

"Inform the troopers to set their weapons to stun," Vader said to one of his officers. "I want prisoners, not corpses."

"Yes, my lord," the officer said, rushing off to obey.

"I will be in my quarters," Vader said, marching off the bridge. "Alert me when we exit hyperspace."

* * *

Malysa Kolos paced her quarters on the _Executor_ like a caged animal. Her thoughts were in turmoil, and she was more conflicted now than she'd ever been in her life.

She'd been taught about the Light Side of the Force since she was a little girl by her Jedi Master, but Lord Vader was making a lot of sense in his talk about balance in the Force. It had always been a struggle for her to restrain her emotions, to keep her calm during battle, so to hear Vader tell her that such restraint was unnecessary and unnatural was very tempting.

But, she'd been told of all the horrible things the Sith Lord had done, how he'd murdered children during the fall of the old Republic when he assaulted the Jedi Temple, slaughtered dozens who had once called him comrade and friend. She'd seen the dozens of lightsabers in his quarters herself, heard it from his own mouth that he'd killed every one of the Jedi whose weapons he'd taken as trophies.

But, she'd seen the files on Palpatine, as well, and when Vader had told her that Darth Sidious would have been a much more vicious and brutal Emperor, she knew that to be the truth as well. The Death Star had been a reality, and would have been out there, a constant threat to the people of the galaxy, if Vader had not taken his personal flagship at the time to the facility where it was being built and bombed it into oblivion. Vader was not a wasteful spender, using huge amounts of the Empire's credits in developing obscenely powerful weapons and on himself as Sidious would have; in fact, the only permanent residence he maintained was the _Executor_ itself. The Chancellor's mansion back on Coruscant was occupied by Grand Vizier Sate Pestage, the bureaucrat who ran the administrative part of the Empire under Vader's supervision.

Malysa sighed in frustration. The arguments for and against accepting Vader's offer were equally strong. Aside from their brief duel, in which it had to be admitted that _she_ had attacked_ him_, and he had not been the one to finally defeat her, Lord Vader had been nothing but civil to her; he had given her quarters instead of sending her to the brig, and offered her full run of the ship except restricted sections - which she had so far not done, remaining in her rooms by her own choice.

However, he had killed both her master and her fellow student before she had managed to extricate herself from her hiding place on the _Tantive IV,_ and he hadn't offered them the same chance he had her, she thought. But, she hadn't seen what happened, and the only other witness had been a stormtrooper. She had no idea how to find out which one it had been, since their armor made them all look and sound the same.

Now, the _Executor_ was on its way through hyperspace somewhere on a mission, and she didn't know where. Malysa briefly considered asking Vader, but she sensed him meditating in his quarters, deep in concentration, and she thought he would not appreciate being disturbed.

She had no one else to talk to, no one to discuss things with except Lord Vader, and she knew already what he wanted her to do. No one would try to stop her if she joined Vader, and it was seeming more tempting all the time.

Alone and confused and feeling very small, Malysa curled up on the floor in the middle of her room and silently begged the Force to tell her what to do.

* * *

In the war room at the Yavin IV base, a Rebel technician looked down at one of his monitors as it beeped suddenly; one of the proximity satellites had been triggered, and when it did not recognize the transponder code of the incoming vessel, it began screaming in electronic panic, its programmed response to any vessel who did not transmit a friendly code within one minute of passing by the satellite.

The satellite went dead suddenly, but not before transmitting a single image to the technician responsible for it. The technician waited impatiently for the image to arrive, and once it had loaded on his monitor, he began screaming in panic as well. The image was out of focus, and depicted only a large, pointed shape painted a dark blue color, but the technician knew that it could be only one thing.

The _Executor_ was here.

* * *

"_All pilots to the briefing room! Repeat, all pilots report to the briefing room immediately!"_

Luke heard the announcement over the base's PA system and broke into a sprint, dashing past dozens of other orange-suited Rebels as he suddenly felt a tremor in the Force to go along with the announcement.

He recognized the staggeringly powerful Force presence immediately, and he felt his stomach sink as he realized with a dreadful certainty that Darth Vader had somehow found the Rebel base.

What were they going to do?

* * *

"My lord?" a timid voice asked from three meters to Darth Vader's right.

The Sith Master's eyes snapped open. Instantly, he sensed that something was wrong, and he reached out his senses to discover the Rebels were in a flurry of activity in their base.

Vader slowly got to his feet, glaring at the officer who had entered his quarters. "What is it?" he asked, his voice low and dangerous.

The officer gulped nervously under the Sith Master's withering stare. "Ah, it seems the Rebels have been alerted to our presence, sir. They are readying fighters."

Vader used the Force to calculate their position relative to the gas giant Yavin, and his fuse was further shortened. "Admiral Ozzel came out of lightspeed too close to the system," he growled. "Our attack has been spoiled."

"Ah, he felt surprise was wiser," the officer said, taking a nervous step back as the loose objects in Vader's quarters began shaking from the force of the Sith Lord's anger.

"He is as clumsy as he is stupid," Vader snarled. "I should have had Thrawn in command of my ship from the beginning." He glared ominously at the officer, who emitted a brief, terrified squeak before hastily saluting and fleeing for his life.

Vader stomped over to his chair and stabbed the comm button on the arm so violently he broke it, but the connection was established anyway. A screen flared to life in the corner of the room, displaying the bridge and Admiral Ozzel's face as the _Executor's _commander turned to face _his_ commander.

_"Ah, Lord Vader,_" Ozzel began, a triumphant expression on his mustached face. "_You will be pleased to know-_"

"I will be pleased to know," Vader interrupted acidly, "why you decided to countermand my orders and alert the Rebel base that we were coming."

Ozzel blinked. "_Uh, my lord?_" he stammered, confused.

"I specifically ordered you to come out of hyperspace beyond the range of their sensors," Vader growled at the admiral. "I meant for our slicers to fool their sensors into thinking we were one of _their_ ships so that we could approach unchallenged."

Ozzel actually backed a step away from his monitor on the bridge from the sheer rage in Vader's glare, and he swallowed uneasily. "_Ah, my lord_," he began, starting to feel a slight pressure around his throat, "_I meant to catch the Rebels by surprise, to terrify them into surrender with our presence, and-_"

"And you have 'terrified' yourself out of a job," Vader interrupted, barely able to contain his fury. With the limited speed of the _Executor_'s sublight engines, the Super Star Destroyer would take nearly thirty minutes to come within range of the Rebel base, during which time the Rebels, including the young Jedi, would pack up and flee.

"Ozzel," he snarled at the now quivering admiral, "You are terminated."

He tightened his Force Choke until Ozzel began turning purple, then released the admiral and hurled him all the way across the bridge, hard enough to break eight ribs in his back and one of his arms. More than one officer within range of the monitor's pickup winced as their former commander landed with a sharp _crack_ against the far wall, then slumped to the deck, groaning.

"Piett," Vader grated between clenched teeth to the nearest competent officer, "I trust you will make for the Rebel base with all possible speed?"

The man he'd selected, the _Executor_'s first officer, nodded nervously but smartly. "_Yes, my lord,_" he said, meeting Vader's still-angry gaze unflinchingly.

"Do not disappoint me, _Admiral _Piett," Vader said, giving the man an instant promotion before violently terminating the connection by smashing the comm unit with his mechanical fist.

He knew he was too flush with the Dark Side, but damn it, he was _angry_, and he needed to destroy something before he started taking out his rage on more of his officers.

The door to his quarters opened, and Vader whirled to see one of his aides, who took an instinctive step back at the Sith Master's expression.

"What?" Vader demanded.

"Your fighter is fueled and ready, my lord," the man said, fighting to keep the horror from his expression. "The men await your command."

Vader waved him away curtly, and the aide fled. As he passed the inactive screen in the corner, now a dark reflective black, the Sith Master paused as he saw that the eyes looking back at him were red-rimmed yellow. Surprised, he realized why the aide had been so terrified, as had the other officers. He hadn't been so flush with the Dark Side as to make his eyes change color in a very long time, and it surprised him that something as simple as his blundering fool of an Admiral emerging from lightspeed at the wrong time had been enough to set him off.

Vader made his way into the refresher, and stared at his still-yellow eyes in the mirror. Very deliberately, he forced himself to calm down until they resumed their normal blue color, though they shifted back and forth several times before he was finally able to purge his rage. He had thought he'd worked his way past the memories of his initial fall to the Dark Side, which his encounter with Obi-Wan had brought back to the fore, but apparently, he had not, and it was quicker to join him in anger now than ever before. Was he no better than the monster that had killed Qui-Gon? Where was his self-control?

It would take much careful meditation to regain his balance, but Vader decided it could wait until after the attack. Time was of the essence here, and if he did not want Obi-Wan's student to escape, he had to act quickly.

* * *

"I will be brief, for you all need to get to your ships," General Dodonna said to a roomful of anxious pilots. "This will not be an easy fight; our fighters are all we have for defense at the moment, since our fleet is massed in another system and cannot arrive here in time to do us any good."

Dodonna looked out at the pilots. "By our best estimates, _Executor_ will be within turbolaser range of this moon in twenty-five minutes. The rest of our personnel are loading the cargo ships as we speak, and your duty is to buy us enough time to escape." The Alliance general became gravely serious. "I will not lie to you; many of you may not return from this, and there is no shame in staying here to help us defend the base itself as we finish our departure."

He gestured to the large screen mounted next to him on the wall of the stone chamber, which flared to life with a wide shot of the _Executor_. "Lord Vader's flagship is the most advanced ship in his fleet, but it is not without limitations." He pressed a button on his control unit, and the view of the Super Star Destroyer zoomed in on the stern of the massive starship. "If you can get through their shields, the engines are vulnerable, particularly to torpedo hits." The general looked out at the pilots again. "You may not be able to destroy Lord Vader's ship with only your fighters, but you are small and maneuverable enough to make your way past its outer defenses, which are mainly designed for protection against other capital ships.

"You must try to cripple the _Executor_ or at least slow it down long enough for us to escape," Dodonna continued. "If Lord Vader manages to bring his ship within turbolaser range before the evacuation is complete, he will destroy anyone and anything still here. We need, at the minimum," he glanced down to check his wrist chronometer, "thirty-five more minutes to load the bare essentials aboard our ships. You must try to buy us as much time as you can." He swept his gaze around the briefing room quickly, making eye contact with as many of the pilots as he could. "May the Force be with you."

"Snub fighters against a Super Star Destroyer?" the pilot next to Luke muttered. "This is suicide."

"No, suicide would be letting Vader get here," Luke replied. "The general is right; he'll burn this whole moon to the ground. You have friends here, don't you?"

The pilot, who couldn't have been more than three or four years older than Luke, nodded slowly.

"Then defend them," Luke said simply. "If you die, then you'll have died defending someone you cared about, and there isn't any better way to go than that." Obi-Wan's last sad smile drifted through his mind as Luke said this, and he struggled to keep his expression from faltering.

The pilot nodded again, slapping Luke's shoulder as he got to his feet. "Thanks, kid. What's your name?"

"I'm Luke," the young Jedi replied, also rising.

"Wedge," the pilot said, extending his hand. "Watch my back up there, will you?"

Luke shook his hand, smiling slightly. "I will, if you'll watch mine."

Wedge grinned. "You've got yourself a wingman. Let's go, Luke."

The two men, along with the other pilots, made their way to the hangar, where their fighters waited. Luke saw Han talking to Mara near one of the X-wings, and as Wedge went off to his own fighter, Luke caught the end of his friends' conversation.

"I think you should come with us," Han was saying to Mara. "We could use you."

"I'm a good pilot," she said. "I belong in a fighter with the others."

"Red, you're the best shot I've ever seen," Han said. "And that's coming from somebody who's pretty good with a blaster himself." He glanced up at Luke as the young Jedi approached, then turned back to the red-haired Rebel. "I'd really like you in one of my turrets if I'm going to be flying around up there."

"So you're coming with us?" Luke asked, leaning against the fighter's nose next to Mara. She glanced back at him with a brief smile.

Han grinned. "Kid, I was wanted by the Empire before I met you. Alderaan just made it a little worse. I doubt the price on my head'll get any lower if I run, so I might as well help you guys out."

Luke grinned back. "Thanks, Han."

The Corellian shrugged, still grinning. He glanced over at Mara. "So, you coming with us, Red?"

She nodded once. "Just let me get my things."

Han gestured casually back in the direction of the upper levels. "Good idea. We're going straight into hyperspace when the general gives the signal that the transports are away."

Mara nodded again and moved off, brushing against Luke slightly as she walked past him. Luke watched her go for a few moments, then turned back to see Han grinning obnoxiously.

"You've got that stupid look on your face again," he said. "Make sure you're focused on the battle and not your 'ally' there, huh? Wouldn't want the Alliance's only Jedi getting blown away, now would we?"

Luke blushed. "It's really that obvious?"

Han nodded, still grinning. "Painfully." He reached out and punched Luke's shoulder gently. "Hey, I'll keep her in one piece, kid." He grinned again. "I'll be keeping _me_ in one piece, too."

Luke couldn't help but smile. "I guess that's what you're best at, isn't it?"

The smuggler spread his hands and grinned. "See you up there."

Luke smiled, and Han moved off, shouting something across the hangar to Chewbacca, who stood near the entrance. The Wookiee bellowed back, and the two continued their conversation as they moved off to the _Millennium Falcon._

The young Jedi felt a hand on his shoulder suddenly, and he turned to see a dark-haired man with a mustache standing behind him, a smile on his face.

"Luke?" the man said, a note of happiness in his voice.

Luke suddenly recognized the man, and he grinned. "Biggs! I didn't know you were here!"

Luke's childhood friend grinned back. "I didn't expect to see you here, either. When did you finally get off Tatooine?"

"Just a couple days ago. Boy, have I got stories to tell you!" Luke said.

Biggs grinned and slapped Luke on the back. "Hey, I've got a few of my own. We'll catch up when we finish chasing off the Imps, huh?" He gestured at the fighter next to them. "We'd better get going, though. I'll see you at the rendezvous, okay?"

Luke nodded grinning again. An alarm klaxon sounded, and the two pilots rushed off to their ships.

* * *

In space, Luke checked his fighter's systems one last time as his squadron rounded the orange gas giant Yavin. R2-D2 beeped and twittered behind him, running his own systems checks.

"_All wings report in_," Red Leader's voice said over the comm.

"_Red Two standing by,_" said Wedge.

"_Red Three standing by,_" said Biggs.

"Red Five standing by," said Luke, reaching up to adjust his flight helmet. He only half listened as the rest of Red Squadron checked in, too busy trying to center himself in the Force. Concentration was difficult over the swirling mix of emotions he could sense from his fellow pilots; anger, fear, anxiety, bravado, anticipation, among others.

But, hanging over them, almost distractingly noticeable even at this distance, was the overpowering Force presence of Darth Vader aboard their target. He was watching, Luke sensed, and also searching for something. As the dark presence suddenly locked on to _him_, Luke realized that the Sith Master had sensed him.

Momentarily panicked, Luke tried to make himself small in the Force, and breathed a sigh of relief when the dark presence lost its focus on him and moved on. He would have to watch himself, he realized. Vader would be looking for him throughout the battle, and the last thing he needed was a mental assault to try and fight off while being shot at.

"_We're coming up on the target,_" Red Leader said. "_Lock S-foils in attack position._"

Luke reached over and punched a series of buttons on his console, and the wings of his fighter, along with all the others of its class, separated to form the X from which the fighter took its name. X-wings were sleek and fast, armed with four lasers, one on each wing, and a proton torpedo launcher. They were also equipped with shields, a significant advantage over TIE fighters, and hyperdrives. Securing the X-wings from Incom Corporation had been a big score for the Rebellion, since the Empire currently had no fighters which could equal them.

"_Look at the size of that thing!_" Wedge said, clearly astonished.

Luke had to agree with him. The _Executor_ made the already massive Star Destroyers look puny, its menacing angular lines making it look like an enormous arrowhead. It was practically a mobile city, and though Luke had been expecting backup, he realized that the Emperor's flagship didn't need any; it was almost a fleet's worth of firepower by itself.

"_Cut the chatter, Red Two_," Red Leader said. "_All wings, switch on your deflectors, double front. Remember, our job is to protect the bombers and make sure they get a clear run to the engines._"

The rest of Red Squadron acknowledged, and so did Gold Squadron, which was made up of less maneuverable Y-wings. Though the X-wings had torpedoes, Y-wings could hold several more, and thus had a greater chance of being able to land crippling shots on the Super Star Destroyer's engines.

"_We're coming up on the outer shields,_" Red Leader said. "_Get ready, boys._"

* * *

Admiral Firmus Piett, still trying to get used to his new position, stood in front of the bridge viewports, watching the tiny specks of light that were the Rebel fighters draw closer. "How much longer to turbolaser range of the moon?" he asked.

"Eighteen minutes," an officer reported. "Lord Vader reports all fighter wings are ready, and he is launching now."

Piett frowned to himself; it was far too risky for the Emperor himself to be flying around in a TIE fighter, but there was no use telling him that. Emperor Skywalker had always been an excellent pilot, and he often fought on the front lines in space as well as on land, just as he had in the Clone Wars. You had to respect a leader who was willing to put himself in as much danger as the men he commanded, Piett thought. That was probably why the 501st received so many transfer requests; everyone wanted to fight alongside Lord Vader. A posting on his flagship was considered a reward for excellent service.

Piett frowned again. How had Ozzel managed to get himself appointed as the _Executor'_s commander, anyway? He was hardly the kind of officer Vader preferred to have around. But, he thought, even the Emperor had to make concessions to the bureaucrats sometimes. Ozzel was a very well-connected man, so Vader had likely given him the position to appease one of the data-pushers who ran his Empire while he commanded the military. That was one thing still left over from the old Republic, at least; even as powerful a man as Lord Vader couldn't run everything himself, and thus the bureaucrats had gotten themselves a significant amount of power over the years.

But, Piett thought as he asked for another status update, he'd been performing many of the duties Ozzel should have doing himself for the last year, anyway, so it was about time he'd been promoted. There had actually been a betting pool among some of the junior officers about how long it would take for Ozzel to irritate Lord Vader enough to get himself either terminated or killed. Piett had gotten wind of it and had formally disapproved.

Informally, he had won two hundred credits.

As the Rebel fighters drew closer, Admiral Piett purged the last of the unrelated thoughts from his mind and concentrated on strategy. Contrary to Ozzel's boasting, ships that small actually were a threat to the massive _Executor,_ since they were small enough to evade the heavy weapons and make it through the outer shields. But that was why Lord Vader was out there with the fighter wings; the Sith Master had realized his flagship's limitations and had planned accordingly.

Proud to be serving under such a man, Piett resolved to prove himself worthy of his recent promotion and earn Lord Vader's respect by reaching the Rebel base as quickly as possible and preventing any of them from escaping. He would leave the fighters to the Imperial pilots. Two squadrons of terrorists were no match for the Empire's finest.

* * *

"_Red Five, take Reds Two and Three and escort Golds Eight and Nine to the starboard rear shield projectors. Watch out for turbolasers."_

"Acknowledged, Red Leader," Luke said. He tilted his stick off to the side, and he, Wedge, and Biggs peeled off from the main group, falling into formation above two Y-wings. The endless blue hull of the _Executor_ flashed past underneath them, a deadly green rain of turbolaser fire adding to the obstacles they had to dodge.

"Try to keep low to the hull," Luke said. "It'll make us harder to hit."

"_You got it, boss,_" Wedge said, swooping his X-wing among the protrusions on the hull of the Empire's largest ship.

Biggs and the Y-wings followed suit, and Luke hung back to provide cover for the rest of his squad. He kept his senses alert, watching for enemy fighters. General Dodonna had alerted them to multiple launches a few minutes ago, and Luke had been expecting TIE fighters to come screaming at them ever since.

"_Beginning attack run on port target,_" Gold Seven transmitted on the Alliance frequency.

"_We've got your back,_" Gold Leader, - Han Solo in the _Falcon _\- responded. "_Red Squadron, watch out for TIEs. We've got three squadrons on our scopes, and they're splitting up to engage."_

"_I see them,_" Red Leader responded. "_Coming in at two-ten. Reds Four and Six with me, Seven and Nine with Golds Three and Five."_

The various pilots acknowledged orders, and Luke glanced up at them as they split off to engage the specks of the approaching Imperial fighters. The larger shape of the _Millennium Falcon_ moved just as swiftly as any X-wing, dodging turbolaser fire as its turrets shot back at the gun emplacements.

"_Three hundred meters to target_," Gold Eight said to Luke.

"Get ready," Luke said to Biggs and Wedge. "We've got TIEs at ten. Wedge, watch the bombers. Me and Biggs will take the fighters."

"_Gotcha, Luke,_" Biggs responded. "_Here we go!_"

Biggs split off and fired at the approaching TIE fighters, deadly orange bursts of laser fire streaming from the wingtips of his fighter. Luke lined up his own shot and fired, lasers raining from his own fighter at the blocky shape of the closest TIE.

The center TIE in the enemy formation fired green bolts back at Luke, and the young Jedi rolled his fighter to the left to avoid them, shooting back as soon as he finished his roll. The TIE also dodged, but not quickly enough, and a few of Luke's shots peppered his port solar panel. His maneuvering capability damaged, the TIE tried to correct his turn, but overcompensated and spun into the fighter closest to him in the formation. Both Imperials vanished in a sudden bright fireball, but their comrades flew through it, shooting back at Luke and Biggs.

Biggs absorbed the first few shots with his shields as he lined up, and with a quick firing pattern, he picked off a TIE fighter as Luke destroyed another.

"_Hey, boss, we could use a little help over here,_" Wedge said, and Luke looked in his direction to see another flight of TIEs moving toward the bombers.

Spinning his agile fighter into position, Luke fired rapidly at the Imperial fighters, succeeding in blowing a solar panel off of the one on the far right edge. Behind him, another explosion flashed as Biggs destroyed the last TIE in that flight, and his X-wing quickly raced into position next to Luke.

"_Watch out, Red Six!_" Red Four's voice shouted over the comm. Red Six's only reply was a quick scream that suddenly cut off as his comm went dead.

Luke caught the bright flash of the explosion out of the corner of his eye, and his jaw set determinedly as he approached the new series of fighters. Fire lanced out from his wingtips, joined a second later by more lasers from Biggs, and ahead of them, Wedge fired, also. The orange bolts met and crossed just in front of the Imperial formation, and two of the ships were unable to avoid, detonating violently.

The remaining TIEs branched off to try and engage the Rebels separately, and Wedge spun his fighter in a tight corkscrew to avoid his opponent's first salvo. Biggs latched onto another fighter like a mynock on a power cable and chased him right into the _Executor_'s hull, firing incessantly and providing no avenues of escape.

Luke pulled his fighter up in a quick twisting loop as another TIE fighter roared past beneath him, and he emerged from his loop right on the Imperial fighter's tail. The enemy pilot tried to swerve to avoid, but Luke matched his motions exactly, firing as quickly as his lasers allowed. The TIE vanished in a blinding fireball a moment later.

Off in the distance, Rebels and Imperials continued to destroy each other, flaring up like tiny novas as heavy blasters and torpedoes found their targets. The _Millennium Falcon_ was just barely distinguishable from all the other specks of light, swooping through frantic maneuvers as it tried to provide cover for the other Rebel ships.

"_One hundred meters to target,_" Gold Eight said. "_We need some cover, Reds._"

"_I got it,_" Biggs said, swooping in with wings blazing to take out a turbolaser emplacement in the bombers' way.

Luke angled his fighter to join his friend, readying his own weapons.

* * *

Vader lined up a Rebel fighter in his scopes and fired repeatedly, his green lasers slicing right through its top right wing. The Rebel spun out of control and crashed into a weapons tower, destroying both the turbolasers and himself.

"Close up formation," he said to his wingmen, accelerating. His TIE Advanced, a heavily modified version of the normal Imperial fighter, roared in response, pressing him back against his chair.

His breathing, filtered by his flight helmet, was deep and raspy in his ears, but unhurried, his focus locked with laser precision on his next target, a Y-wing bomber.

Vader did not use computer targeting systems, aiming manually, but an outside observer would not guess this as his shots relentlessly peppered the bomber with mechanical precision, driving it closer to the hull of the flagship. The Rebel pilot tried to avoid, but Vader hit him too many times in quick succession, and his ship succumbed to the Dark Lord's fire, exploding.

An X-wing suddenly swerved and accelerated to full burn, streaking right for Vader's TIE with all four laser cannons blazing. Vader simply adjusted his controls slightly so that the fire passed within centimeters of his hull and calmly fired back, his bolts intersecting a meter in front of the X-wing's cockpit before impacting and killing the pilot instantly.

Another Rebel fighter whose shields were in slightly better condition tried the same tactic on Vader's starboard wingman, and he managed to deflect the Imperial pilot's first few bolts, but as soon as Vader noticed one of the shots slipping past, he quickly angled his own TIE and sent a bolt right through the X-wing's top right engine. It failed and flared out, destroying the other engine and most of the wing, and the Rebel was unable to maneuver quickly enough to avoid the lethal fire from Vader's other wingman, who destroyed the ship with a flurry of bolts.

"Good shot," Vader said, already moving on to his next target.

* * *

"Ten minutes to turbolaser range," an Alliance technician said to Leia.

"The last transport is fifteen minutes from being able to take off," Dodonna said quietly. "The first still hasn't gone to hyperspace."

Leia sighed grimly. "We're not going to make it."

* * *

-/\\-


	8. I,8: Victory and Defeat

-/\\-

* * *

**Eight**  
(Victory and Defeat)

"_Fifty meters to target,_" Gold Eight said. "_We have a lock. Firing._"

Gold Eight and Gold Nine, Y-wing bombers, fired two proton torpedoes each, the small orbs shooting out at the starboard rear shield projector of the Super Star Destroyer _Executor_.

Luke watched from the cockpit of his X-wing fighter as the torpedoes smashed into the shield projector with violent force, causing a brief, bright explosion to flare up.

"_Starboard rear shields are down!_" Gold Nine said over the Rebel frequency. "_All available ships, commence bombing runs!"_

"_Golds Three and Five on our way!_" another pilot replied. "_We've lost our escort, so we could use some cover!_"

Luke hauled his fighter over to escort the bombers to the _Executor_'s engines, their target. "This is Red Five," he said over the comm. "I'm on my way. Biggs and Wedge, watch out for Golds Eight and Nine until I get back."

"_You got it, Luke,_" Biggs replied. He and Wedge formed up around the other Y-wings, shooting at any turbolaser emplacements and fighters that blocked the way.

R2-D2's sudden shrill whistle alerted Luke to the fact that a TIE fighter had locked onto his tail, a moment before it fired and missed his upper port engine by centimeters. Luke continued on course for just a moment longer, then suddenly swerved up and to the right. The TIE fighter was not able to turn as quickly as the agile X-wing, and Luke continued his tight spin until he and the Imperial fighter had reversed positions. The TIE spun away from his first several shots, but Luke kept his finger on the trigger, harassing the Imperial pilot until he was distracted enough to fly right into a turbolaser bolt. This had the added bonus of keeping said turbolaser from hitting Gold Three, and she thanked him over the comm.

Luke knew enough to know about the Force to know several of the things he'd done in the pitched space battle were not coincidence or skill; the Force was guiding his hand, and he allowed it to, concentrating on maintaining his calm as Obi-Wan had taught him.

The young Jedi sensed danger a moment before a TIE fighter, this one with augmented weapons and angled solar panels instead of the usual blocky wings, screamed in with two regular TIEs and blew Gold Five apart with a sudden flurry of fire. Gold Three swerved away as quickly as she could, but the custom fighter's lasers followed her, and only with Luke's sudden intervention, flying between the Y-wing and its aggressor and absorbing its last few shots with his shields, was she spared the fate of her wingmate.

"Go on," Luke said. "I've got these fighters." Gold Three acknowledged before accelerating away to where Biggs and Wedge protected two more of her fellow Y-wings.

Luke sensed sudden irritation from the center fighter in the enemy formation, followed by curiosity. With a start, he realized the custom TIE's pilot was none other than Darth Vader, out flying in defense of his own flagship.

He sensed equal surprise emanating from Vader as the Sith Master found him in the Force and recognized him.

* * *

Vader altered course to chase after the X-wing that had come between him and his target as he suddenly realized Obi-Wan's student was inside.

He kept his lasers in a constant fire pattern, attempting to herd the young Jedi away from the engines. One of the TIE fighter bays was not far from here, and if he could chase the powerful young man within range of the bay's tractor beam, he could take him captive.

As he chased Obi-Wan's student, Vader was amazed at the boy's skills. Even with his advanced TIE fighter, which was nearly the equal of an X-wing in maneuvering capabilities, the Sith Master had a hard time keeping up with the young man.

Vader fired closer and closer, trying to score a hit on one of the X-wing's engines, but its Jedi pilot was too fast, his reflexes far beyond that of a normal human being, and the usually accurate Sith Lord was completely unable to hit him.

Gritting his teeth in concentration, Vader leaned forward in his seat slightly as he pursued the X-wing closer to the _Executor_'s hull. Soon the two of them were engaged in a daring race among the protrusions in the Super Star Destroyer's dorsal superstructure, moving at their top speeds and using maneuvers that would get an ordinary human killed in the complex maze. But neither man was an ordinary human, and so the chase continued.

* * *

"_You're clear for a run, Gold Nine,_" Red Two - Wedge Antilles - said to one of the bombers over the Rebel frequency.

Leia watched the status board in the war room of the Rebel base on Yavin IV, showing the Emperor's massive flagship as the background, with brightly colored lights to indicate the Alliance fighters. Gold Nine approached the starboard rear engines of the Super Star Destroyer and blinked several times to indicate that it had fired multiple torpedoes. Red Three - Biggs Darklighter - chased a TIE fighter away from Gold Eight, while Gold Three moved in to fire at the next set of engines.

Her eyes were drawn to Red Five, Luke's fighter, as his signal raced at breakneck speed through the upper part of the _Executor_'s hull, chased by a single TIE moving equally as fast. Leia knew of only one person aboard the Imperial ship that could possibly have reflexes that fast, and she quickly signaled for any available fighters to come to Luke's aid.

Unfortunately, there weren't any available fighters, since all surviving Rebel ships were either bombers currently trying to disable the _Executor_'s other engines, or X-wings trying to keep the Imperial fighters away from the bombers. Lights disappeared off the status board with alarming frequency, and more Imperial signals appeared all the time. The Alliance had only twenty-four ships to send against the _Executor_, while the flagship carried almost a hundred and fifty. The brave Rebel pilots were simply outnumbered, and their time was running out.

"Seven minutes to turbolaser range," an Alliance technician announced. He, General Dodonna, and Leia, along with two other technicians, were the only people left in the war room; everyone else was aboard the last transport already. "The second transport has gone to hyperspace," the man announced a moment later.

"Nine minutes to liftoff readiness," Dodonna said. "We should get aboard, Princess. Your family's transport should be almost to hyperspace by now."

Over her father's objections, Leia had insisted that he, her mother and her aunts board one of the first transports to leave. She had resolved herself to be one of the last off the small jungle moon of Yavin.

"The transport isn't very maneuverable," she said to Dodonna. "The _Executor_ will have plenty of time to fire on us."

"They won't," the general said, gesturing to the status board. "That's what our pilots are out there fighting for."

* * *

Luke continued his frantic flight away from Vader, who now fired continuously, providing Luke with a whole host of other obstacles besides the building-like protrusions of the flagship's upper hull.

Green lances of death shot past his viewport like a malevolent rainstorm. As he dodged Vader's lasers, a stray bolt impacted with the _Executor_'s hull and hit something sensitive, spewing debris and a large, roiling fireball in Luke's path. He hauled his fighter closer to the Super Star Destroyer's hull, trying to avoid the fireball, and in so doing left himself open for a quick salvo by Vader, who fired rapidly at him. Luke strained his fighter in a wild maneuver, and took only mild damage as the Sith Master's bolts peppered his wings.

The young Jedi had to fly almost completely by instinct, shunting most of his concentration into resisting a mental attack by the Sith Master, who relentlessly battered Luke's mental shields as well as those on his fighter, trying to find a weakness in both.

_Left,_ a voice that sounded like Obi-Wan's said in Luke's head, and he unconsciously obeyed, swerving left at the next intersection between the 'buildings' below the command tower on the huge starship. This caused Luke to pass in front of a turbolaser bolt that Vader had to slow down to avoid, and at the faint voice's next direction, Luke went right, taking him out of sight of the Sith Master.

However impossible it might seem, it felt like Obi-Wan was there with him in the X-wing's cockpit, looking over his shoulder, and he occasionally felt reassured, like his teacher had given his shoulder a comforting squeeze.

_Faster, Luke. He's getting closer._

* * *

Vader swooped after the X-wing piloted by Obi-Wan's mysterious student, accelerating until even his augmented fighter's engines protested. He had long since left both his wingmen behind, but he didn't care; he was close to losing track of the powerful young man.

A man of lesser skills would have crashed some time ago, but even Vader came close to plowing into a few of the turbolaser emplacements and other obstacles in his path, intent on his pursuit of the young Jedi.

The young Jedi careened between two turrets, the space so narrow that even tilted sideways, the X-wing was a tight fit. Vader was forced to follow by going over the turrets, a move which cost him a few seconds.

He stretched his mind, still tearing at the somewhat feeble mental barricades the young student had erected against the Sith Master. Vader again frowned. He had sensed great power in the youth, but had not expected such resistance.

But then something in the boy's calm seemed to break, and the X-wing's rapid sweeping motions steadied. Grinning, Vader steadied his own TIE to deliver a wounding shot to one of the engines that would hopefully send the X-wing into space to be captured. But unexpectedly, the X-wing shot up, revealing a blazing turbolaser bolt which had been heading straight for the boy. Vader, who had been so distracted lining up his shot that he had not noticed the deception, was forced to roll the TIE to avoid the beam. His trajectory was blocked by a large turret, and he fired his weapons as quickly as he could since his ship's systems were already so stretched by the tight turn that he could not turn again without tearing the TIE to pieces.

The metal extrusion exploded seconds before he would have collided with it, and he burst through the resulting blast. His eyes were still adjusting from the nearly blinding flash, but he felt the young Jedi in the Force and in a matter of seconds, had resumed the chase.

He scowled, fully realizing now that Obi-Wan's apprentice had not faltered in the Force at all. If anything, he was growing in strength, and the Dark Lord knew that capturing him was no longer an option.

His strategies against the Jedi instantly changed. A being this powerful was a threat, and if he could not capture Obi-Wan's student, he would destroy him. Someone so powerful, even unskilled, could not be allowed to fight for the Rebellion.

Obi-Wan's student banked hard in a turn that should not have been possible at his speed, moving ninety degrees in only a second as he shot through a gap between two protrusions and banked again a moment later, another impossibly tight turn. Vader's wing came within centimeters of a durasteel wall, and he actually smiled; he hadn't had to try this hard to chase down an enemy pilot in a very long time, and to have his skills tested was a fairly rare experience.

* * *

Han Solo swerved the _Millennium Falcon_, sending the old freighter through a complicated pattern to lose the numerous TIEs firing repeatedly on his tail. Suddenly an X-wing swooped by, blasters scorching through the solar panel of a TIE. The Imperial craft began a barrel-roll headed straight for the _Millennium Falcon's_ cockpit, coming so quickly that Han was sure it was going to hit something vital. But before it could, a quick series of bolts fired from the upper turret obliterated the Imperial fighter and one of the other nearby TIEs simultaneously.

"Nice shot, Red!" Han shouted through the headset. The light laugh she gave off was almost lost in the white noise the old headphones continually emitted.

"_You expect me to miss?_" Mara said, and fired again to strike another TIE with deadly accuracy.

A lacerating turbolaser blast struck with a shudder, and the sound of electrical popping and steam hissing free from pipes followed immediately after. Han cursed as he looked at the damage indicated by the instruments before him, but didn't dare take his eyes off his piloting to look down the narrow halls to see exactly what had happened. He swerved again, but the _Falcon_ turned a little slower, and a loud whine started somewhere in the bowels of the ship.

"_Should I man the bilge pumps?_" Mara said, the amusement in her tone coming through quite clearly over the static.

"This kind of thing is perfectly normal," Han said back. A half-dozen TIEs flying in formation swooped over the ship, pelting them with laser bolts and sending the_ Falcon_ into another shuddering spasm.

"_It sure sounds like it_," Mara's voice filtered through, the sarcasm no less biting with the muffling fuzziness. "_Maybe flying through their weapons fire is your strategy?_"

"More shooting, less criticizing," he said irately.

In response, a TIE immediately shattered out of being. A second, a gaping hole now in the solar panel from Mara's accurate shot, careened into the path of one of its companions, obliterating both.

As Han and Chewie swooped the _Falcon_ closer to the _Executor_'s hull to avoid a bunched grouping of turbolaser fire, a blindingly bright explosion flared up from the other side of the massive Star Destroyer, a few kilometers away. Han squinted, and the cockpit windows automatically tinted to block the flash, turning the area to their right black. When the windows resumed their normal transparency, a rapidly dissolving fireball was all that remained of four of the Super Star Destroyer's engines.

"_Targets three and four down!__"_ a triumphant voice crowed over the Rebel frequency."_Repeat, target groups three and four eliminated!"_

"Ha!" Han said to Chewbacca. "Just a few more and we can get out of here. A ship this big'll never get in turbolaser range on only two engine groups."

The Wookiee barked his agreement, reaching up on his board to adjust their forward shields. So far they'd managed to avoid being hit too hard by any heavy weaponry, but not for lack of trying on the Imperials' part. It seemed almost like they didn't care what they hit, as long as they hit something; green lances of energy darted everywhere through the chaotic space above the hull of the massive warship.

A Y-wing exploded in a violent fireball next to them, its momentum carrying its remains toward the _Falcon_, but fire lanced out from both the upper and lower turrets to deflect the debris away from the battered freighter.

"Thanks again, Red," Han said over the headset. "And you, too, whatever your name is," he said to the Rebel in the lower turret.

"_Hobbie_," the young man answered, grunting as he swiveled his turret to fire at a turbolaser emplacement.

"Right," Han said, adjusting another control in an attempt to compensate for whatever had been damaged back there. "Thanks, Hobbie."

As Mara herded another TIE into Hobbie's line of fire, the Rebel bombers succeeded in destroying another group of the _Executor_'s engines. A flight of vengeful TIE fighters swooped in and blew the bombers and their escorts to pieces, roaring after the remaining Rebels with obvious anger.

Fearlessly, Han pushed his beloved freighter between the flight of TIEs and their target, absorbing their green laser bolts with his shields. "Get 'em, Red!" he shouted over the headset.

Mara quickly obeyed, blowing most of the flight apart with a punishing volley. From below, Hobbie picked off the survivors, whooping over the headset.

Han grinned. "That's what you get for flying around without any shields, jarheads!" he sneered to the fireballs.

"_This is Base to Gold Leader. Come in, Gold Leader,_" Leia's voice said on their comm suddenly.

Han reached over to acknowledge, leaving the flying to Chewie for the moment. "Yeah?"

"_Han, Luke's in trouble,_" Leia said. "_See if you can find him and help him out._" She paused for a moment. "_Vader's chasing him, and I don't know how long Luke can keep away._"

"You got it," Han said, reaching over to adjust their scanners to look for Red Five's transponder. "I'll be right there."

Once the connection was closed, Han hauled the _Falcon_ over to race for the X-wing's signal.

* * *

Luke glanced behind for an instant, hand still on the stick, and he frowned worriedly. Where was Vader? He hadn't seen him in a while, and Artoo reported that he couldn't find the Sith Master's TIE fighter on his scanners.

Had he lost him? Luke hadn't thought himself good enough a pilot to outmaneuver a legendary flyer like Anakin Skywalker, who had a good thirty years of flying experience on him. But, as he continued to speed through the _Executor_'s upper superstructure, it appeared that that was what had happened.

With a sudden roar, Vader's TIE fighter appeared out of nowhere right in front of him, rocking Luke's ship with his exhaust.

Startled, Luke completely forgot to fire, and his reflexive maneuver, attempting to avoid ramming into the back of the Dark Lord's fighter, nearly sent him into a wall. He started to pull up, his finger tightening around his firing controls, but Vader suddenly decelerated, and Luke shot past him.

Vader kept on him, firing relentlessly. Every time Luke tried to pull up and out into clear space, Vader intensified his fire, driving Luke back down. Luke heard a sudden electronic shriek behind him as one of the Sith Master's bolts came within a centimeter of Artoo's domed head. Several more bolts peppered his hull, and Luke dodged frantically in an attempt to keep the Sith Master from hitting his engines. Engine damage and the resultant loss of maneuverability would ensure instant death at these speeds.

Cursing the fact that X-wings had no rear-facing weapons, Luke kept up his rapid swerving and dodging, trying not to hit any walls, but Vader made this difficult, and finally, when faced between a choice of getting hit with lasers or hitting a wall, Luke scraped by too closely to the side of the durasteel maze and clipped one of his wings. Amazingly, this spun him out into open space and not into the other wall, but Luke knew it was a small blessing.

* * *

Vader pursued the spinning fighter up into open space, locking onto it with both his targeting computer and his own deadly accurate marksmanship.

"I have you now," he said, and he squeezed the trigger.

* * *

Luke sensed the Dark Lord locking onto him, and he squeezed his eyes shut, knowing he was done for.

Several seconds went by, and when he wasn't consumed in a deadly fireball, Luke opened his eyes just in time to see the _Millennium Falcon_ soar overhead, a wordless triumphant whoop sounding over his comm as its lower turret fired repeatedly at something behind him.

* * *

"What?" Vader shouted, startled by the sudden appearance of the Corellian freighter. He was so surprised he did not have a chance to evade before his fighter was hit repeatedly, and he lost control, spinning off away from his target.

One last shot hit his cockpit window, and Vader frantically held the atmosphere in his ship with the Force, but not before a shard of transparisteel flew up and hit his flight helmet. He felt a sudden sharp pain in his right eye, and it went dark, causing him to scream in agony.

Vader completely lost control of his fighter then, and it spun off into space, tossing him about inside. Cursing in all the languages he knew, he wrestled with the controls with one hand as he pulled out the shard of transparisteel that had taken his eye with the other, groaning at the intense pain this caused.

Barely able to concentrate over the pain, Vader attempted to stabilize his flight, and he finally hit his locator beacon with one hand, summoning a support ship to come and find him.

* * *

"_You're all clear, kid!"_ Han's unexpected but incredibly welcome voice shouted over Luke's comm. "_Now let's get out of here!"_

Luke finally managed to get his fighter back under control, and he pushed it after Han's battered freighter, speeding away from the _Executor._

Behind them, the other surviving Rebel fighters raced away from the crippled Super Star Destroyer, headed for the last of the Alliance transports. The _Executor_ fired after them with its turbolasers, but in a few seconds at top speed, the Rebels were out of range. Minutes after that, Luke managed to get his damaged X-wing into the mostly-empty cargo bay of one of the transports.

The Rebel Alliance fled into hyperspace, leaving the Imperials behind.

* * *

Vader smashed out the front of his damaged fighter with the Force, stumbling out of the hole and to the deck plates of one of his flagship's hangar bays. A number of Imperial soldiers rushed over to help him, but he angrily shoved them away, disconnecting the systems that held his flight helmet to the rest of his suit.

Gingerly, he pulled the helmet from his head, ignoring the concerned gasps from the officers at the sight of his ruined eye. Trying to ignore the pain, he pressed his glove to his eye as he moved off through the hallways of the _Executor_, headed for the bridge.

"My lord, you must go to the infirmary," a young man in a major's uniform insisted, tugging at the Sith Master's sleeve. "You must have your wound treated immediately!"

Vader pushed him away, stalking through the hallways for the nearest turbolift. A medic who had been summoned by one of the officers on duty in the hangar darted into the turbolift before him, trauma kit at the ready.

The Sith Master permitted the young woman to examine his wound on the turbolift ride to the bridge, frowning angrily to himself all the while. He had been so close, but that damnable Corellian freighter had come out of nowhere! Now Obi-Wan's student had escaped, more determined to fight for the Rebellion than ever.

"I'm sorry, my lord," the medic said, interrupting his thoughts. "It doesn't look like we'll be able to save your eye. The wound is too severe. I can give you something for the pain, though." She held up a small bottle of pills, but Vader waved her off.

"Just put a bandage on it," he said curtly. "I have things to do."

"As you say, my lord," she said, reaching into her bag. "But you must come to the infirmary as soon as you can."

Vader grunted noncommittally, lapsing into thought again. How could he recover from this? The first priority would be to have his ship repaired, and then some radical modifications were in order to prevent the Rebels from doing this again in any future battles. It was infuriating to know that the Empire's mightiest ship had been humbled by two squadrons of fighters. When word of this got out, it would undoubtedly increase support for the Rebellion.

The political pundits would have a field day with this, and Vader knew he would have to keep his temper tightly under control for the next several weeks. Already, he was thinking of how he could spin the report to show how great of a threat the Rebellion was, but his other concerns and mainly his anger clouded his thoughts, and he found himself unable to concentrate.

Working with commendable efficiency, the medic finished applying the bandage several seconds before the turbolift arrived at the bridge, but Vader was too irritated to offer proper thanks, and he pushed past her to storm into the command center of his flagship.

"Damage report!" he barked at the commander of his vessel.

Admiral Piett snapped to attention where he was standing, gesturing for the datapad on which one of his aides had already compiled a list of the damages. "Several of our main engines have been destroyed beyond repair, my lord," he said, admirably keeping his calm. "We will have to enter dry dock for full repairs, but I have sent teams of technicians to repair what they can. The hyperdrive is also non-operational. We will have to be towed."

Vader very carefully pushed down his first instinct, which had been to hurl Piett across the bridge with the Force as he had the man's predecessor. He reminded himself that Piett was too competent an officer to waste like that, and that such an action would push him further into the Dark Side. His balance was so seriously disrupted right now that he feared he might never get it back.

"Contact Grand Admiral Thrawn at Alderaan and have him bring part of his fleet here," Vader ordered, struggling to keep his calm.

"We have also detected a beacon coming from the Rebel base," Piett reported. "Its frequency is one of ours."

Vader frowned thoughtfully. His agent had likely left him a message. "Ready my shuttle and three dropships," he said. "I will investigate myself."

The admiral nodded smartly. "At once, my lord." He paused momentarily. "I… apologize for-"

"Do not apologize, Admiral," Vader interrupted. He moved closer, staring at Piett with his good eye. "But do not fail me again."

Before Piett could do more than nod, Vader stormed off the bridge.

* * *

Hours later, the personnel from the Yavin base rendezvoused with their fleet at a prearranged point in the cold black gap between two stars. Admiral Ackbar, the Calamarian commander of the fleet, expressed his apologies to General Dodonna and Princess Leia that he had not been able to arrive in time to help them fight off the _Executor._

Gathered in the officers' wardroom aboard Ackbar's flagship _Home One_, Luke, Han, Leia, Bail Organa, Winter, and General Dodonna sat in the couches arranged around the central holoprojector, discussing the battle.

Typical of Mon Calamari architecture, the room and really the entire vessel gave the impression of being inside a gigantic sea creature's polished shell, and Luke found it a relaxing place to be, an unusual feeling on board a warship.

"I still don't know how Vader managed to find us," Leia was saying. "Did he put a tracking device on the _Millennium_ _Falcon_ somehow?"

Han leaned forward in his seat, looking over at Leia. "There's no beacon on my ship," he said. "Me and Chewie thought the same thing, and we checked all over, but we didn't find anything."

"Could you have told him when he…" Bail paused. "When he interrogated you on the way to Alderaan?"

Leia shook her head firmly. "I am positive I told him nothing when he tortured me," she said. She frowned, absently plucking at the white gown she wore, which still bore the scorch marks from Vader's lightning. "How could the man in all those documentaries about the Clone Wars ever turn into such a monster?" She glanced up at the young Jedi sitting across from her. "Sorry, Luke."

Luke scowled. "Don't be. I think the same thing."

Bail shifted uncomfortably, something not lost on Luke. He sensed great uneasiness coming from Leia's father, and he wondered what was troubling the man. But, he decided not to ask.

"The Empire will be very angry at our escape, and their defeat," General Dodonna said, looking around at the others. "We must go into hiding, for at least the time being. A new base must also be found."

Ackbar nodded, blinking his enormous fish-like eyes. "We have many concerns, but now is not the time to dwell on them." His features shifted into an approximation of a smile. "The Alliance has won a great victory today, and our heroes must be rewarded."

Han exaggeratedly perked up at this, and Luke and Leia both could not help but smile.

"We have proved our determination," Bail said. "That so few people could humble a mighty warship like the _Executor_ shows that our cause is just." He looked over at Luke, smiling slightly. "The Force is with us."

Luke nodded. He certainly hoped so.

* * *

Later, as the Alliance fleet sailed on through hyperspace, Leia's adoptive parents sat down for a quiet word alone in their room. Bail locked the door, turning with a pensive look to his wife. "I don't think we should tell her," he said. "You see the way she talks about him. Leia hates Anakin more than anyone else. I don't know how she would take it if we told her he was her real father."

Breha nodded sadly, looking out of the viewport in their quarters at the swirling blue tunnel of hyperspace. "I know," she said. "But she deserves to know the truth. Luke is the only blood family she has. Shouldn't she know he's her brother?"

"_We_ are her family," Bail said, sitting down next to his wife. "Besides, I don't think Obi-Wan told Luke about Leia. If he knew she was his sister, he would have said something by now."

Breha shook her head. "I don't like lying to her, Bail," she said. "She knows she's adopted; I know she's curious about her birth parents. She's looked up to Padmé all her life. Think how happy Leia would be to know that she was her mother."

Bail nodded, but frowned. "But the question is, would this balance out her horror at knowing who her real father is?"

Alderaan's queen leaned back in the couch, folding her hands in her lap. "You're right, Bail," she said. She looked over at her husband, reaching up to push a strand of her dark hair behind her ear. "You know I love Leia, and I'm so happy we were able to raise her, but I wish things had turned out differently for her and her brother. Their poor mother..."

"Anakin Skywalker has much to answer for," Bail said darkly. "A great many lives have been ruined because of his selfishness." He gestured at the walls of the warship around them. "The galaxy would be a much different place if he had thought more about others than himself during the fall of the Republic."

Breha nodded. She looked over at Bail and met his eyes resolutely. "I want you to promise me we'll tell her when she's ready," she said seriously.

Bail smiled sadly and put his arm around his wife's shoulders "I don't want to put Leia through that kind of pain, but she has to know sooner or later." He gently kissed Breha's temple. "We'll tell her when the time is right."

* * *

_Stand firm, you must,_ a wizened, ancient-sounding voice said inside Malysa Kolos' mind, startling her.

_What?_ she thought back, surprised. Only Darth Vader had ever contacted her this way, but this certainly didn't sound like him.

_Heard your call, I did_, the voice replied. _Your conflict burns strongly in the Force. Alone, you are not._

_Who are you?_ Malysa asked the voice.

_A teacher,_ the voice replied. _Teach you, I will, to resist the Dark Lord, but quickly we must work. Distracted, he is, but when he regains his calm, sense me he will._

Malysa sat up straighter, watching the massive orange globe of Yavin outside the viewport of her quarters. _What must I do?_ she asked.

_Recall your master's training, you must,_ the ancient-sounding voice said. _Hide your true feelings from Vader, prevent him from seeing your thoughts. Mislead him, you must, into thinking he controls you._

_You mean, I should let him think I've started to touch the Dark Side like he does?_

Malysa received a sense of agreement, almost like a mental nod. _Difficult this will be,_ the voice said, _but necessary. Strong enough to defeat the Dark Lord, you are not, but aid you can the one who is. A way you must find to send information about Vader to the Rebellion. Direct it to one named Skywalker._

_Skywalker?_ Malysa asked the voice, surprised. _What are you talking about? Does Anakin have relatives fighting for the Rebellion?_

_We have not time for such things,_ the voice replied. _Show you, I will, to project thoughts you do not have, emotions you feel not. Difficult this will be, and dangerous. The Dark Side seeks always to draw new ones into its grasp, and struggle you will against its pull. But resist you must, for if you fall, an agent of evil will you become, like the Dark Lord and his followers. Theirs is not the true path, only a foolish compromise. Deceived, do not be by his twisted thinking._

Malysa nodded slowly, nervous about trying to deceive someone with a mind as powerful as Vader. Her first thought was that he would immediately see through her attempt at deception and would kill her on the spot.

_Real, your fear is,_ the wizened voice said, _but conquer it you must. Help you, we will._

_You must stand firm_, a different voice said, this one of an older human man, with a gentle quality and reassuring tone. _Vader is not all-powerful, as much as he would like to think so, and we will help you when we can. Remember your friends, and draw strength from their memory._

_All right,_ Malysa 'said' with some trepidation. _Show me what to do._

* * *

-/\\-


	9. Part I Epilogue

-/\\-

* * *

**Epilogue**

In a hastily organized ceremony on the remote planet of Dantooine, the heroes of the Battle of Yavin were honored. The personnel who had been at Yavin and the soldiers in Ackbar's fleet gathered on one of the wide, grassy plains, where, as local legend held, a Jedi academy had been thousands of years ago. Little more than overgrown rubble remained on the site now, but there had definitely been a building there once.

Dressed in their finest clothes, the Rebels gathered in two huge columns beneath a magnificent blue sky, looking up as a squadron of fighters flew overhead in formation. A long, wide aisle bisected the crowd of freedom fighters, providing a path for those being honored.

At the signal provided by triumphant fanfare, Luke Skywalker, Han Solo, and Chewbacca walked down the wide aisle, preceded by Wedge Antilles and Biggs Darklighter. The four men and the Wookiee walked in two groups, heads held high as their fellow soldiers in the fight for freedom from the Empire watched.

Luke wore his brown and tan robes, lightsaber at his belt, polished and gleaming in the gentle sunlight. Han wore what he usually did, a white shirt under a black vest and blue trousers tucked into knee-length boots, but his shirt had been pressed and he had closed his collar and combed his hair, about the only concession the smuggler was willing to make. Chewbacca was simply furry.

At the end of the aisle waited Leia Organa, her father and mother, Winter, General Dodonna, and Admiral Ackbar. Each also wore their finest clothes, but Leia, who stood at the center of their group, stood out from the others, radiantly beautiful in an elegant white gown with her rich brown hair worked into a long braid down her back. She maintained a calmly dignified expression as the heroes approached, but her eyes showed the pride she felt.

Biggs and Wedge were the first to be honored, commended for their part in the pitched battle, and the two pilots, dressed in their best uniforms, each received medals for their bravery. They beamed as they stepped aside to let Luke and Han through, and the smuggler and the Jedi moved to stand in front of the princess.

She looked at each of them in turn, smiling slightly, and she turned to General Dodonna as he handed her another medal. Han leaned forward slightly, and Leia placed the medal around his neck. He winked at her as their eyes met when he straightened, and she smiled back, amused at his irreverence.

Next, the princess placed a medal on Luke, and she smiled at him also. The young Jedi's reaction was a little more dignified, and he smiled back at her as well as the other leading members of the Rebellion behind her.

Han and Luke turned to face the crowd of Rebels, and the gathered men and women cheered and applauded, praising the men who'd effectively saved their lives from Darth Vader and his forces.

Luke looked out into the crowd and spied Mara grinning at him from the front row, clapping along with the others. He smiled back at her, feeling pretty good about himself.

Han, of course, saw this, and nudged the young Jedi's arm with his elbow, murmuring out of the corner of his mouth. "Got yourself a medal, kid. You'll be beating the cute redheads off with a lightsaber now."

Luke had to grin. "Shut up, Han," he murmured good-naturedly.

As the Alliance cheered for him and the other men, Luke suddenly found himself thinking of his teacher, and a brief image of a proud smile on Obi-Wan Kenobi's bearded face flashed through his mind for a moment.

_You have done well, Luke_, the old Jedi Master's voice said in his mind. _But your struggle does not end here. Be mindful of the future._

_Your father still remains to be confronted._

* * *

Darth Vader stalked through the halls of the massive stone ziggurat on Yavin IV that had housed the Rebel base, his long black cloak flaring out behind him. A simple black eyepatch covered his injury for the time being; the doctors on his flagship were even now designing a mechanical replacement from exacting specifications prepared by the Sith Master.

He was alone; he'd ordered his stormtrooper escort to search the rest of the base on their own while he listened to the report from his agent.

The Sith Master finally located the beacon, and when he entered the room it was housed in, what looked like a dormitory, he sealed the door behind himself. He called the hidden message recorder to himself with a tug of the Force, sensing the presence left behind by his agent.

He placed the small message unit on the bed - the only furniture in the tiny, cell-like room - and activated it, standing back as the small sphere unfolded itself to reveal a holo-emitter.

A miniature hologram of his agent appeared, a young woman with thick red hair and vibrant green eyes, her image tinted blue. Mara Jade looked directly into the camera and made brief eye contact with him before dropping to one knee, head bowed in respect before she looked back up.

"_My master_," the prerecorded message began, "_I hope you find this message, for I have news of monumental importance. Obi-Wan Kenobi's Jedi apprentice is a young man named Luke Skywalker. He claims to be your son_."

Jade paused for a long moment, no doubt anticipating her master's need to process this information.

Vader stared at the recording, pausing it as Jade began to speak again. He had a son? How was that possible? How had he not sensed him before now? True, he'd sensed the boy's incredible power, but how had he not realized that Luke was his son? He knew it was true, though; he recognized enough of himself in the boy that there was no other possibility as to his origin.

Anakin was momentarily shaken as he realized how close he'd come to killing his own son in the battle above the _Executor_, and he thanked the Force that he'd missed that final shot. An eye was a small price to pay for sparing his only link to his angel.

Padmé must have survived Mustafar at least long enough to have Luke, Anakin realized. She'd lived at least long enough to bring their child into the world, and then had entrusted him to Obi-Wan.

Darth Vader scowled. Obi-Wan had undoubtedly filled the boy's head with lies. He'd obviously trained Luke in the ways of the Force, and since he'd lied to Vader in the message he'd sent him after Padmé's funeral, he'd probably spent the better part of the boy's life poisoning him against his father. Who knew what the boy thought of him?

But, Vader realized, he could overcome this. The link between flesh and blood was stronger than any lies the Jedi might have told the boy. With his son at his side, Vader knew he would have the power to shape the galaxy in any way he wanted. With Luke's powers combined with his own and his other legions of followers, Vader knew he could finally achieve the goal he'd been striving toward for the last twenty years: somehow finding a way to bring back his beloved Padmé. The ability Palpatine had tempted him to the Dark Side with had to be real; even if it wasn't, he would find a way to do what the old Sith had described, with his son to help him.

His new determination set firmly in his mind, Vader played the rest of Jade's message.

"_I do not know if this is true_," her image continued, starting up again from motionlessness, "_but he believes it to be. Unfortunately, he has also expressed hatred for you, claiming that, in his mind, Anakin Skywalker died in the Cleansing_."

Jade's image glanced off to the side before looking back up and continuing. "_The Rebels are planning a defense against the _Executor_ even now, and to maintain my cover, I must aid them in this. No one suspects anything, and I believe I have earned the trust of most of their leadership, as well as Skywalker. I cannot risk breaking cover to communicate directly with you, and so I do not know when I will be able to contact you with more information_."

She paused momentarily. "_I will continue to maintain cover as an agent of the Rebellion, and I will provide you with any information I can. If I can arrange an opportunity for you to capture Skywalker, I will do so_." Jade paused again, glancing off to the side at a sound off-camera. "_Long live the Empire_," she said quickly, and the message ended.

Plans were already swirling within Vader's head as he destroyed the message capsule and left the small room, resuming his pretense of a search. His determination further strengthened as he thought about all he could accomplish with his son at his side.

He would find Luke Skywalker, Darth Vader resolved, and together nothing could stop them, even death.

* * *

-/\\-

**_End Part I_**

-\/-


	10. I Found Him

-/\\-

* * *

**Tales From the Rebellion**

* * *

**"I Found Him"**

A small shuttle approached the pastoral world of Naboo, angling for the night side of the planet. The shuttle was nondescript and gray, from the outside impossible to associate with its famous pilot, a tall man in his mid-forties with short, severely cut dark blond hair and a grim expression.

Darth Vader, Sith Master and ruler of the galaxy through the Empire, sat alone in the cockpit of his tiny shuttle. As he slipped undetected through Naboo's atmosphere, Vader adjusted the hood of his long black robe, making sure it covered his face. He wanted no one to know he was here; though he was the Emperor and could do virtually whatever he wanted, his reason for coming here was no one's business but his own. Darth Vader had no reason to come to Naboo, at least in the public's understanding, and if he was seen here, it would raise too many questions - especially where he was going.

He landed his ship as close as he could to his destination without arousing suspicion, and then quietly slipped away into the night, knowing the way by heart. In only minutes, he reached the building he sought. Its white lines and gentle curves, typical of Naboo architecture, shone in the soft moonlight.

The man who had once been known as Anakin Skywalker walked with almost ceremonial slowness up the steps of the mausoleum that housed the body of Padmé Amidala Naberrie Skywalker - though the last name was inscribed nowhere in the building. The mausoleum held a quiet, understated elegance, and it was obvious much loving care had gone into its construction. Images of the woman whose body it housed were everywhere; holograms, sculptures, painted portraits in a variety of styles, and carved bas-reliefs depicting important events in her life.

Her husband thought to himself that two of the most important events were missing: her marriage to him and the birth of their child. But, only a few people in the galaxy knew of either event besides himself. A thought drifted through his mind then that if not for the Jedi Order, neither event would have had to be secret.

The mausoleum did not have a security system; Padmé was so beloved on her homeworld that not even the most obnoxious vandal would consider desecrating her tomb. It received visitors at all hours of the day, though not many came by at this time of night. Vader was sure he would be alone. He took a few moments to look through the mausoleum, passing his gaze over the images of his wife and recalling the memories that accompanied each one.

As he usually did when he came here, he paused at the one image in the entire monument that depicted him and his wife together. It was a very famous image taken from the Battle of Geonosis, showing Anakin Skywalker and Padmé Amidala fighting side by side in the opening battle of the Clone Wars. There was no obvious hint of their attachment, already strong by that point, but Vader could see it, especially in the way his younger self was looking at Padmé with concern, angling his lightsaber to deflect a blaster bolt coming toward her.

"_You call this a diplomatic solution?" Anakin said, looking over at Padmé._

"_No," she replied, a hint of a mischievous grin quirking her lips. "I call it 'aggressive negotiations.'"_

_Anakin grinned himself and turned back to the battle, swatting a blaster bolt back at the droid who'd fired it._

He had no idea who had taken the image, but it was regularly featured in documentaries and textbooks, used to illustrate the battle. Vader felt the fingers of his mechanical hand clench as he remembered that he'd lost his arm at that battle, in his duel with Dooku. Padmé had been aghast at the wound, and she'd stayed at his side in the medical center when it had been treated, unable to hold his other hand for fear of revealing their relationship, forbidden under the restrictions of his order. He had known what she was feeling, though, and had drawn strength from her presence.

Vader moved on to another image, which showed Padmé with her family, all of them smiling. Her mother and father were seated, and she and her sister stood behind them with Sola's husband. Sola's daughters sat on their grandparents' laps, beaming at the camera. Unbeknownst to anyone in the picture but Padmé, the Naberries' other grandchild was also present; Vader could see by the time stamp that the picture had been taken while she was pregnant with Luke. He felt a small twinge of sadness, knowing he rightfully deserved to be in the picture, standing next to his wife and the rest of their family. But again, the restrictions of the Jedi had made what should have been a happy time for both of them a time of stress and secrecy, both of them fearful that they would be found out at any moment they were together.

"_Something wonderful has happened." Padmé looked up at her husband, happiness in her eyes. "Ani, I'm pregnant."_

_Anakin paused in shock; he certainly hadn't been expecting this. "That's…" He paused again for a moment. Finally, he smiled. "That's wonderful!"_

"_What are we going to do?" Padmé said, worry starting to enter both her expression and her tone._

_Anakin smiled. "We're not going to worry about anything right now, all right?" He reached up to touch her face with his flesh-and-blood fingers. "This is a happy moment." He looked down into her beautiful brown eyes. "The happiest moment of my life."_

_She smiled finally, and he leaned down to kiss her as she embraced him._

He quietly crossed to another image, one taken shortly before her first term as Queen of her homeworld. She looked exactly as she had the first time he'd seen her, and he thought back to that time, when he'd asked her if she was an angel.

_She was,_ Vader thought to himself. _She had to have been. _

Finally, he reached the end of the long entry hall, and he paused at the door to the inner room. He attempted to prepare himself, but he knew it was futile; he had the same reaction every time he came here.

As the man who'd been Padmé's husband stepped inside her tomb, he felt his throat constrict with emotion. There, at the center of the room, upon a low stone dais, sat a transparisteel coffin. She lay within, dressed in a flowing dark gown, rich chestnut hair draped around her as if in sleep.

After Obi-Wan had sent her body home, Vader had learned, her parents had had it placed in suspended animation. The government of Naboo had paid for it, as well as this tomb, and so she was forever preserved as she had been on the day that she died. She truly appeared to only be sleeping, exactly the same as every time he'd watched her at night. But, he knew, if she were to awaken now, she wouldn't smile, wouldn't reach for him.

She would recoil in fear.

"_I don't believe what I'm hearing," Padmé said, backing away from him. "Obi-Wan was right; you've changed."_

_Anakin, Vader now, felt his jaw clench at the mention of his teacher. "I don't want to hear any more about Obi-Wan," he said, waving a hand dismissively. He looked down at Padmé with rising anger. "The Jedi turned against me. Don't you turn against me."_

_Padmé backed away again, tears starting to form in her eyes. "I don't know you anymore," she said. "Anakin, you're breaking my heart. You're going down a path I can't follow."_

_Vader looked down at her. "Because of Obi-Wan?"  
_

_Padmé_ _shook her head and stepped closer. _"_Because of what you've done. What you plan to do. Stop," she pleaded, looking up at him. "Stop now. Come back."_

_But Vader's attention was no longer on his wife. He looked up with growing rage at the figure standing at the top of the ramp of Padmé's starship. Obi-Wan looked back down at him with determination and resignation._

"_I love you," Padmé said, taking another step closer._

_The implications of what he was seeing were too much for him, and Vader snapped. "Liar!" he shouted at her._

_She gasped, looking behind to see Obi-Wan descending the ramp of her ship. "No," she said desperately._

"_You're with him!" Vader raged. "You brought him here to kill me!" He raised a hand, clenching his fingers as he seized her neck with the Force._

"_No!" she said again, bringing her hands up to her throat. She looked back at him in hurt and disbelief, as if unable to even imagine he would do such a thing._

"_Let her go, Anakin," Obi-Wan warned._

"_Anakin," Padmé pleaded, unable to say more._

"_Let her go!" Obi-Wan said firmly, walking towards them._

_Vader finally released his grip, and Padmé collapsed, lying motionless on the metal landing pad._

"_You turned her against me!" Vader screamed at Obi-Wan._

_Obi-Wan looked back at him with disgust. "You have done that yourself."_

_Vader walked away from Padmé, pulling off his outer robe in preparation to fight his old teacher. "You will not take her from me!"_

"_Your anger and your lust for power have already done that," Obi-Wan replied, dropping his own outer robe. "You have allowed this dark lord to twist your mind until now…" He looked over at his former friend as the two of them circled one another. "Until now you have become the very thing you swore to destroy."_

The look in her eyes, the heart-wrenching look of utter hurt and disbelief as she protested, still woke him at night. Vader was unable to purge the memory from his mind, and every time his subconscious forced him to relive it, it hurt just as much as the first time.

Overcome with emotion, Vader dropped to his knees next to his wife's body. He placed his hands on the coffin, looking in with deep, wrenching remorse. "I'm so sorry," he whispered. "If I could take it back, I would."

For the first time in long, long years, Anakin Skywalker choked back a sob, feeling a tear run down his cheek as he looked at the still body of the woman he'd loved. In her hands was clutched the necklace he'd made her shortly after they'd met, which she'd told him once she'd had with her ever since. It had never left her in life, and now it never would leave her in death.

Anakin remained next to his wife for several moments, just looking at her. Finally, he took a deep breath, forcing himself to regain his composure.

"He lived, Padmé," he said to her body. "Our son is alive. I found him." He kept his eyes on her face, one he knew almost better than his own, every detail as perfectly preserved in his memory as it was in the stasis field.

"Luke is alive," he said again. "He's all grown up now, and we both missed it." He had to squeeze his remaining eye shut against the new wave of emotion that swept over him. "Because of me." He felt a slow burn of anger as the events of that day twenty years ago replayed in his mind. "No, because of _him_."

Vader allowed the rage he'd felt over his wife's death to enhance his still-burning hatred for Palpatine, for the man who'd lied to him and manipulated him into furthering the old man's scheme. If not for Palpatine, he never would have jumped headfirst into the Dark Side, never would have allowed it to control him so thoroughly that he saw deception where there was none, betrayal where there was none, and acted on the lies, costing him the only person who ever just let him be who he was and didn't expect anything from him except love. Vader was sorry he couldn't kill the old wretch again.

"It's all right," he said to her. "I can still fix things. Luke is powerful; just as powerful as me. Together, we can find a way." Vader felt his tears burn away under his determination. "We can still be a family."

Vader fell silent again, continuing to kneel at his wife's side with his hands as close to her as he could manage, not wanting to leave. He spent the next several minutes this way, in silence, until quiet footsteps in the hall beyond the tomb disturbed his peace. Vader stood, pulling his black hood over his face, and drew back into the shadows at the corner of the room, using the Force to make himself nearly invisible in the darkness.

As he watched, irritated at being disturbed, Padmé's sister Sola walked in, looking so much like her that it almost hurt. Sola was in her forties now, the age Padmé would be if she had lived, and she had hints of gray in her long brown hair, so similar to her sister's.

Sola looked around for a moment once she entered the tomb, as if she could sense someone else was there, but she did not see Vader, and stopped at the foot of the transparent coffin. "Hello, Padmé," she said, a sad smile on her face.

She paused for several moments, and Vader was distinctly uncomfortable, but she was between him and the exit; there was no way to leave without her seeing him.

"Why didn't you tell me?" Sola said finally. "You know I would have helped you if I could."

Vader was puzzled; what was she talking about?

"I've seen his face on the news reports," Sola said, still looking down at her sister's body. "The Rebellion has a new Jedi, and his name is Luke Skywalker." She paused again for a moment. "He looks like him, you know. That handsome young Jedi you brought home once. But he looks like you, too."

Sola leaned forward slightly, placing her hands gently on her sister's coffin. "I would have helped you," she said again. "You didn't have to hide it from me." She sighed. "With the way he turned out, I can see why you had to hide your boy from Anakin. But why didn't you send him to me? You know I would have been happy to take care of him."

Vader pulled himself further into the shadows, sensing where this was going.

"What happened to you, Padmé?" Sola asked, her voice full of sadness. "Where did you go after you left Typho behind? Who sent you back to us like this? For twenty years I've wanted to know, but you can't answer me." Sola's expression shifted to one of anger. "Did _he_ do this to you? Did Anakin hurt you?"

Vader forcibly kept himself calm, using all his willpower to keep himself from saying anything.

Sola sighed sadly. "I'll never know," she said finally. "But I can find your son. I'll find him, Padmé. I'll make sure Luke knows his mother. I don't know where he's been, but I'm sure he thinks about you, wonders who you were. I don't know how, but I'll do it. I'll tell him all about you."

That was enough.

"You will do no such thing," Vader said, emerging from the shadows so that he was outlined by the beam of light illuminating the transparent coffin.

Sola gasped, backing away in shock. Vader drew back his hood and moved closer to her, glaring balefully at his sister-in-law with his remaining eye. She turned white with fear, backing away until her shoulder met the far wall of the tomb.

"Wh-What are you doing here?" she stammered.

"You will stay away from my son," Vader said gravely. "If anyone is to tell him about his mother, _I_ will. He is no business of yours."

Sola managed to compose herself, ire rising through her fear, and she took a step away from the wall, looking up at him determinedly. "Luke is just as much Padmé's son as he is yours," she said, showing the same spirit her sister had on so many occasions. "He has a right to know his mother's family, more right than you have to keep him away from us."

"You will not try to contact my son," Vader warned. "I have left Naboo alone during my reign, but that can quickly change."

Sola blanched again, knowing he meant every word, but again her spirit overcame her fear. "What happened to you, Anakin?" She moved closer, looking up at him. "How did you turn into…" she gestured at his dark clothing and the patch that covered one eye, "this? Is there anything left of the young man I met all those years ago?"

Vader narrowed his eyes, and was silent for a long while. "No," he said finally. "Anakin Skywalker died on the same day as his wife." He leaned in closer. "Their child died with her. Am I making myself clear?"

Sola brought a hand up to her throat, where she felt a slight pressure. She nodded sadly. "Yes, I understand. I'll leave him to you."

Vader straightened. "Good. I always liked this world; it would be unfortunate if I had to conquer it."

Sola nodded, sighing. "Yes, Anakin _is_ dead, isn't he?"

Vader turned without saying another word and stormed out of Padmé's mausoleum, leaving her sister behind.

Sola turned back to the body of her sister, forever preserved in youth and beauty. "Don't worry," she said quietly. "I'll find a way. I won't let that monster have your son. I won't let him twist Luke the way he was twisted.

"I'll find a way."

* * *

-/\\-


	11. Brothers and Sisters

-/\\-

* * *

**Brothers and Sisters**

_Two weeks after the Battle of Yavin…_

"I pledge myself to the Sith Order and to your teachings. Command me, Lord Vader."

Malysa Kolos kept her eyes on the ground as she finished. The Sith Master himself was taking her oath, though all she could see of him from her vantage point, kneeling with head bowed, was the hem of his long black cloak and the tips of his polished black boots.

"Rise."

That single word resonated with command, yet somehow also managed to convey a sense of pride. As Malysa stood, she looked up into Darth Vader's single piercing blue eye. The other was covered by a black patch, as he had lost it in the recent space battle at Yavin. Oddly, he did not seem to care, and the characteristically moody and angry Dark Lord had been almost… happy - as far as that could be applied to the Sith Master - ever since he had come back from investigating the Rebel base. The crew of the _Executor_ was puzzled, but knew better than to question their leader's good mood.

Malysa and the Sith Master stood in the main room of Lord Vader's quarters aboard his flagship, alone. Her lightsaber hung from her belt, and the young Jedi took a brief moment to test out her new mental shields by entertaining a momentary notion of cutting the Emperor down with it.

Outwardly, her expression did not change, remaining one of patient loyalty, and Lord Vader gave no indication of sensing her thoughts. As several silent moments went by, Malysa had to work to keep her relief contained behind her shields also.

The Jedi Master who had contacted her during the battle had taught her to shield her thoughts, for which she was immensely grateful. If she hadn't been able to do this, Malysa knew, she would have given in to Vader's persuasion, and this pledge of devotion would have been genuine.

Finally, Vader broke the silence by holding up a small red crystal, the color of recently spilled blood, and he held it so that the light from the glowpanels overhead made the gem seem to glow from within. "This gem will be the symbol of your dedication to the ways of the Sith," he said. "Place it within your lightsaber, to symbolize your abandonment of the false teachings of the Jedi and your new devotion to the true path to mastery of the Force."

Malysa kept up the façade of devotion, lowering her voice to an awed and respectful tone. "Yes, my Master," she said, bowing her head again.

She accepted the gem as if it were a priceless artifact, not an object that seemed to burn her hand, something she wanted to hurl as far away as she could.

The corner of Vader's mouth quirked in an almost-smile. "You are already skilled," he said, a hint of pride in his voice. "Your training will be short. I predict you will become a powerful Sith."

"Thank you, Master," Malysa replied, trying as hard as she could to keep the look in her eye she had seen in many of the Emperor's other servants; awe mixed with respect and a hint of fear.

Vader was apparently fooled; he gave no indication of seeing past the surface to her true feelings. "You are dismissed," he said, gesturing slightly to the door to his quarters. "As you place your new crystal inside your lightsaber, meditate on the true aspect of the Force, how both the Light and the Dark must be balanced within yourself, until I call for you."

Malysa bowed her head again. "Yes, my Master."

Vader turned to look out of the expansive viewport that took up one wall of the room, featuring an excellent view of the complex of Kuat Drive Yards, where the _Executor_ was being repaired. Small ships flitted back and forth over the enormous space station, flashes of light flaring up as they worked on the Imperial flagship, and the entire scene was framed by the star-field above and the blue-and-green curve of the planet Kuat below, where Malysa and her brother had been born and their parents lived, mid-level technicians in the shipyards.

As she left the Emperor's quarters, Malysa's thoughts drifted to her brother Tyraj, whom she hadn't seen in more than twelve years. She wondered where he was now. Was he still on Kuat, or had he left the planet on one of the adventures he had talked of when they were younger?

As far as he and their parents would know, she had left on a scholarship to a prestigious academy on Coruscant and was still there, now working on her higher education at one of the universities. She and her Jedi Master had constructed this cover to avoid drawing attention, since the Empire was fanatically obsessed with rooting out the last elements of the old Order and wiping them out. As a child, Malysa had never taken the propaganda to heart, and she suspected her mother hadn't, either, but both her father and brother were firm believers in Lord Vader's New Order.

Malysa nodded to a group of stormtroopers she passed in the hallway, and, surprising her, they stopped and saluted. Unsure of what to do, she nodded again, meeting the leader's eyes through the tiny black lenses in his helmet. He dropped his hand, brought his rifle back into position and spun with military precision to continue on down the hallway, followed in lockstep by the rest of his squad.

The young Jedi watched them go for a moment, surprised by their reaction, but then she realized that, dressed as she was in black and dark gray robes, with a lightsaber hanging from her belt, she was obviously one of Lord Vader's disciples and thus technically of higher rank in the Imperial Army than any stormtrooper or officer. Vader had explained this to her once, saying that he had kept the rank system the Jedi had used during the Clone Wars, where anyone of Knight status or higher was a general in the Army of the Republic, with Padawans holding the nominal rank of Commander and thus in the position to give orders to any clone solider of lower rank.

In the Imperial Army and Navy, all Sith were considered to outrank anyone but an admiral or Grand Admiral, and thus were seen as Lord Vader's direct representatives among the military. She wondered if any of the Sith abused this power, since the ability to give orders to almost anyone surely tempted the Dark Side in those of cruel mindset.

Malysa wondered what she would do if requested to lead an Imperial mission with stormtroopers under her command. Would she be able to carry out whatever mission was requested of her, knowing she had to maintain cover at all costs?

She shook her head as she approached her quarters. Her mission right now, as explained by the mysterious Jedi Master, was to gain Lord Vader's trust and earn enough responsibility to guarantee secrecy for any transmissions or other information drops to the Rebellion. She needed to be secure in her position as a Sith before she could begin her mission as a double agent, and would need to be extremely careful in order not to be caught. If she was, the consequence would almost certainly be death, probably immediate and painful.

Malysa strode inside her small, spartan quarters and headed for the low table in the center of the main room. Once there, she sat down on the floor and set her lightsaber and the red crystal Vader had given her on the flat, drab gray surface.

It disturbed her, having to replace the azure crystal her Jedi teacher had given her when it was time for her to construct her own weapon, since to her it was the last reminder of the man Vader had killed on the _Tantive IV_, who had been almost a father to her for more than a decade.

Malysa sighed. She missed Master Sunrider, missed his gentle way of teaching and his teasing sense of humor, the way he would get a mischievous look in his eyes when he was having a joke at her or her fellow student Joran's expense. Vader had killed both of them without a second thought, and would likely have killed her, too, if the stormtrooper he was with hadn't shot her in the back.

She reached back to rub the scar from the blaster burn, just below her shoulder. It still ached at times but was otherwise healed.

Frowning, Malysa reached for her bag and took out the tools with which she maintained her lightsaber, preparing to complete the illusion of her new allegiance.

* * *

"You know, I don't think I like being famous."

Han Solo snorted in amusement and looked over at his young friend Luke Skywalker, seated across from him on one of the couches in the officers' lounge of the Rebel flagship _Home One_. The two of them, along with Chewbacca, sat in the aquatic-themed room watching another HoloNet news broadcast, this one an official report from the Empire updating its Most Wanted Fugitives list. Luke had now placed in the top five, under Mon Mothma, Bail Organa, Princess Leia, and Admiral Ackbar.

Ever since Alderaan, Luke's name and face had been everywhere on the various news broadcasts available to the galaxy. Those sympathetic to the Rebellion played up the fact that he was a Jedi, and constant comparisons were drawn to the young Anakin Skywalker, the hero of the Clone Wars. Some even went so far as to speculate that Luke was a relative.

The Empire had been quick to respond to this, issuing an official statement from the Emperor himself that Luke was a wanted fugitive and effective immediately, there was a million-credit bounty to be paid on live capture of the young Jedi and delivery to any Imperial base. Emperor Skywalker's statement had also made it plain that he thought the boy was an impostor, using his name in an attempt to gain sympathy for the Rebellion, and he had encouraged any loyal Imperial citizen who spotted the young man to turn him in immediately.

This was probably why Luke had said what he did, and Han chuckled as he reached over to gently punch Luke's shoulder.

"Welcome to the other side of the law, kid," he said. "You get used to it eventually."

Luke looked up at the older man with his deep blue eyes, the exact same shade as his father's, and made a half-hearted attempt at a smirk. "Yeah, I suppose you know about having a price on your head, don't you?"

"Had one for most of my adult life," Han replied, grinning again. "Never one as high as yours, though. You're gonna have to be careful."

Chewbacca growled a statement, gesturing at the holoprojector, and looked over at Luke.

Han nodded. "Chewie's got a point. As long as you keep to the fringes and don't go anywhere with a lot of loyalists, you don't really have much to worry about." The smuggler grinned again, looking over at Luke with a teasing expression. "Besides, women can't get enough of famous guys, even fugitives."

Luke chuckled as he glanced back up at the news program, now summarizing the Alderaanian Royal Family's escape from the Empire's custody. In the course of the summary, it was mentioned, as it often was, that Emperor Palpatine's assassin, Obi-Wan Kenobi, had finally been brought to justice by Lord Vader himself.

Han watched the hint of pain flash through his friend's eyes at this, but the young man otherwise attempted to suppress his reaction. Han knew how much the old man had meant to Luke, and he knew that it had to be hard for the kid to be reminded of it all the time.

For one, as Luke had said before, it wasn't Kenobi who'd killed Palpatine on Mustafar; according to the Jedi Master himself, he had been long gone from the small volcanic planet by the time the first Emperor had arrived, so the only one who could have killed him was Vader. That made perfect sense to Han; the current Emperor was just as ruthless as he was powerful, having no compunctions whatsoever about killing to accomplish his goals. The Ssi-Ruuk war had proved that pretty definitively.

Secondly, old Ben Kenobi had been Luke's mentor, a sort of surrogate father to the boy, and Luke had taken his death hard. He'd been pretty quiet since then, mostly keeping to himself. The only time his mood seemed to lift was when Mara Jade was around.

The doors to the officers' lounge hissed open and Princess Leia walked in, dressed in a white and tan Rebel uniform, as had been her habit of late, and she smiled as she spotted Luke and Han. The smuggler grinned back, flashing her his most charming smile as she approached.

Leia said nothing, but, as Han observed triumphantly, she _did_ sit down next to him. He left his arm draped over the back of the couch, still grinning. Leia fixed him with an amused smirk, as if to say '_you wish'_, before turning to Luke.

"I saw you made the top five on the Most Wanted list," she said to the young Jedi.

"Yeah," Luke chuckled. "Now _all_ the bounty hunters in the galaxy are after us instead of just half."

"Garm Bel Iblis is going to be mad you pushed him out," Han said, smirking. "Now he's only the sixth-most-wanted being in the galaxy."

Leia laughed lightly. "You're probably right."

"Hey, have your dad and Ackbar decided where we're going yet?" Han asked her. "Not that I don't love the little aimless trek we're on here."

"My father and the other Alliance leaders are still searching for a good location to make our new base," Leia answered. "The Empire has devoted a large portion of their fleet to the search for us, and we need to find a place they won't stumble across easily."

Han scratched his chin, frowning thoughtfully. "Plenty of empty systems out past the Rim. It just depends on how far you're willing to get from civilization."

"Why not Tatooine?" Luke suggested jokingly. "You can't get much farther from civilization than that."

Chewbacca let out a barking laugh, growling a further statement made Han laugh himself.

"Yeah, that's true," the smuggler agreed.

"Admiral Ackbar wants to take the fleet to a sympathetic system so we can refuel and restock our supplies," Leia said, looking over at Han, "and he wanted me to ask you if we could use the _Falcon_ to scout out the system and make sure there isn't an Imperial presence there."

Han shrugged. "Sure. Where're we going?"

"The Taris system," Leia answered. "It was fairly affluent once, but the trade routes moved away from the area as the Republic expanded, and it fell into decline. The Empire barely takes notice of it, since there's really nothing useful to them there."

Chewbacca growled a comment, and Han nodded in agreement. "Yeah, I've never been there, either," the smuggler said to his furry copilot. "At least we won't be recognized."

"We'll be there in about two hours," said Leia. "I sent some Alliance technicians to check over your-"

Han sat up straighter, interrupting her. "Wait a second! Are you telling me you sent some of your mechanic monkey-lizards to poke around _my_ ship?"

"Our technicians are perfectly qualified to service your flying death-trap!" Leia retorted. "Though I can see how you'd be angry, since you and your hairy friend are probably the only ones who know how to make sense of all the 'modifications' you've made to it."

"You're damn right!" Han said hotly, jumping to his feet. "Come on, Chewie."

As the Corellian smuggler and the Wookiee left the officers' lounge, Leia turned to see Luke smirking amusedly.

"What are you smiling at?" she asked, her amusement at Han's reaction coloring her tone.

Luke just smiled wider and shook his head. "I could have told you how he is about the _Falcon_. He and Chewie probably _are_ the only ones who can take it apart and put it back together again."

Leia smiled again as she nodded slowly, leaning back into the thickly padded couch. She sighed, looking up at the holoprojector, and Luke looked over at her curiously.

"What is it?" he asked, concerned.

Leia rested her elbow on the couch's armrest and supported her head with her palm, threading her fingers into her hair. "The Alliance is in trouble, Luke," she said finally. "His defeat at the Battle of Yavin has made Vader angry, and he's become much more aggressive in his pursuit of our fleet." She glanced over at the young Jedi. "The list of safe havens for us is getting shorter and shorter all the time."

Luke was quiet for a moment, picking at a spot on the knee of his trousers. "Well," he said slowly, "you knew what would happen when you decided to rebel against someone like my… like Darth Vader," he corrected himself almost defensively.

Leia looked over at the young man, seeing the strong resemblance to Anakin Skywalker more than usual as the young Jedi looked off at the wall, fingers idly toying with the hem of his long brown robe. She couldn't imagine what it was like to be in Luke's situation, knowing the most feared man in the galaxy was his own father, and on top of that, seeing that father kill the man who'd been his guiding influence for most of his life; both Skywalkers' lives, in fact. Vader had even tried to kill Luke during the battle around the _Executor_.

How could it feel to have your father as an enemy? When Leia thought of her own father, she thought of Bail Organa, a strong man with stronger convictions, willing to stand up for what he believed in, even if he faced fierce opposition. He was also a gentle parent, firm but never cruel, preferring to explain why something his daughter did was wrong and make her understand why she shouldn't do it again rather than just punish her for it.

As the two young Rebels sat in companionable silence, Leia's thoughts drifted to her birth father, a man she knew nothing about. She'd been naturally curious when she had found out she was adopted, but her parents had told her that all they knew was that her birth parents had died near the end of the Clone Wars and Bail and his wife had adopted her, since Breha could not have children of her own.

Something bothered her about this story, but Leia could not put her finger on it and simply accepted it as the truth, knowing Bail and Breha would never lie to her.

Grateful for at least a short break in her busy schedule, Leia sat back on the couch and enjoyed the comfortable silence while it lasted.

* * *

Trooper TK-421, also known as Tyraj Kolos, had to devote a large part of his concentration to keeping in step with his fellow troopers, marching at the front of their formation. Usually, this was second nature to Tyraj, an Imperial loyalist to the bone, a man who had graduated fifth in his class of over ten thousand at the academy on Carida.

But today, he had seen something he hadn't seen in over a decade: his younger sister Malysa. His squad had passed her only moments ago, and it had taken all his discipline to remember to salute the dark-robed figure, once he got a good look at her face. What was she doing here? He had thought her to be at school on Coruscant, and her periodic messages, which their parents sent to him, seemed to indicate that all was progressing normally.

As his squad entered the barracks, their duty shift over for the day, Tyraj secured his blaster rifle in the cabinet that sat on one side of the room. He then removed his helmet as he crossed to his bunk, frowning to himself.

The other men in his squad moved off to begin stowing their armor in the storage space under their bunks, but Tyraj's thoughts dwelled on the woman he'd passed in the hallway, and he sat down on his bunk distractedly, ignoring the fact that his armor was digging into his side uncomfortably.

If Malysa was on Coruscant at university, that couldn't have been her in Sith robes here on the _Executor_. She didn't have Force potential; the mandatory testing would have caught it during her childhood immunizations, and their parents would have been asked to send her to the Sith Temple when she was still small.

But, Tyraj doubted that he'd fail to recognize his own sister, even after having not seen her face-to-face in more than a decade. That couldn't have been anyone else. But why would she not have told him and their parents she was receiving Sith training? Being a disciple of Lord Vader was something to be proud of; by all common sense, they would have received an excited message from her if Force potential had been discovered. True, she had never visited since leaving and messages were seldom, but the rest of the Kolos family had taken that as just one of the realities of having a child on the other side of the galaxy in an exciting place. Transportation for those kinds of distances was not cheap, and they had never been a wealthy family.

Another thought hit Tyraj like a blaster shot. His hand unconsciously went up to touch the scar on his shoulder he'd received during the assault on the _Tantive IV_. His glove bumped into his armor, and he glanced down to see the remnants of the scorch mark he'd dutifully tried to polish out of his chest plate.

The woman who had attacked Lord Vader just before he was wounded, the Jedi who had deflected Tyraj's own blaster bolt back into his shoulder, had looked strikingly similar to his sister; short dark hair, slender build, and a Kuati set to her features.

Frowning at the implications this presented, Tyraj reached for his helmet and set it on his leg as he pulled his personal datapad out of one of the storage drawers under his bunk. Once he had turned it on, he accessed his helmet cam's archive and pulled up the recorded footage of the attack on the Alderaanian vessel.

He fast-forwarded through the walk next to Lord Vader through the corridors of the consular ship, skipping over the Sith Master's questioning of Leia Organa and the first part of the fight with the three Jedi. Once the second Jedi fell, Tyraj let the recording play at normal speed.

When the female Jedi came on screen, Tyraj froze the recording and used the datapad to zoom in on her face. After a brief enhancement, Tyraj felt the blood drain from his face.

There was no mistaking it: the female Jedi who had attacked Trooper TK-421 and Lord Vader was none other than Tyraj's sister Malysa.

Tyraj stared in shock at the blank wall in front of him. His sister, a Jedi? How was that possible? How could she betray their family and the Empire like that?

His sister's face, illuminated by the blue glow of her lightsaber, seemed to mock Tyraj from the screen of his datapad. Another thought struck him then: he had shot his own sister in the back. But, his ingrained training was quick to remind him, she was apparently an enemy, and loyalty to Lord Vader and the Empire took precedence over all else.

The stormtrooper frowned. If she had fought him and Lord Vader so fiercely aboard the Alderaanian vessel, what was she doing walking through the halls of the _Executor_ in Sith robes?

"What's the matter, sir?"

Tyraj looked up at the voice that interrupted his thoughts to see one of his fellow troopers, dressed in an off-duty uniform, looking down at him with curiosity.

Before Tyraj could respond, the other trooper glanced down at the datapad and the image on its screen. The other man scoffed. "Jedi scum. I can't wait until Lord Vader finally kills the last of them."

Another trooper nodded. "It's hard to believe they've held on this long. There can only be a few left by now."

The first trooper laughed as he clapped Tyraj's armored shoulder. "They're even fewer, thanks to you, sir. I'm not surprised Lord Vader promoted you for that."

"Yes," Tyraj said distractedly. He switched off his datapad and put it back in the storage drawer, then picked up his helmet and put it on, glancing over at the other troopers in the squad he now commanded. "I'll be back in an hour."

He left the barracks without another word, unconsciously falling into a precise marching step as he headed for the nearest turbolift.

The best way to find out what Malysa was up to would be to ask her himself.

* * *

"Could you please stop pacing? You're going to drive me crazy."

Luke looked over at Leia and smiled sheepishly, sitting down in the nearest chair. "Sorry."

The two of them were in the _Millennium Falcon_'s cockpit, waiting for Han and Chewbacca to return from their scouting trip on Taris. Since the princess and the young Jedi were both too recognizable to risk wandering around out in public, they were staying here with the ship while the two smugglers tried to find someone willing to restock the Rebel fleet. Their task was to get the souped-up freighter ready to go quickly if their companions ran into trouble.

Han and Chewie had been gone for more than two hours, and though Luke was more obvious about it, both of them were growing increasingly bored.

Luke began drumming his fingers on the console next to him, and to head off what would quickly become an annoying habit, Leia swiveled her chair to face him and asked the first question that popped into her head.

"So, Luke, when is your lifeday?"

He glanced up at her, a bit of his longish sandy blond hair falling in front of his eyes. "Empire Day," he answered. "Why?"

Leia was briefly surprised. That was her own lifeday; that would make them the exact same age.

There was an odd coincidence; Anakin Skywalker's son had been born on the same day Palpatine had dissolved the Republic and replaced it with the Empire, and here he was, fighting against it to restore that Republic.

"Just curious," Leia answered. "I just want to get to know you a little better."

"Sure," Luke said, leaning back in his chair a little. "What do you want to know?"

"You grew up on Tatooine, didn't you?" When Luke nodded, Leia continued. "Were you born there?"

The young man shook his head. "No, Obi-Wan said I was born in a facility on an asteroid called Polis Massa. My mother…" He paused for a moment. "She died there."

Leia reached over to touch his arm. "I'm sorry, Luke." He nodded silently, but Leia paused as something he'd said finally registered. "My family owns that facility," she said, looking over at the young Jedi. "My father says he helped Master Yoda escape from Coruscant during the fall, and that he picked up Master Kenobi from Mustafar. If your mother was with Master Kenobi, my father was probably there when you were born."

She marveled at this odd connection between them, and almost missed Luke's shrug.

"Obi-Wan never said anything about your father being there, but he didn't like to talk about that day much. That was the day he and my father fought," he said quietly.

Leia nodded silently, thinking. The day of Luke Skywalker's birth had been one that changed the face of the galaxy forever. It was, she thought, somehow fitting that this young hero had been born on a day the galaxy would never forget, since already he seemed poised to have a great effect upon it.

Something else occurred to her then, along with a faint, nagging thought in the back of her mind that she couldn't quite seem to grasp. She gave voice to the first thought, still thinking on the less substantial one.

"My father never said anything about your mother being with Master Kenobi, though," Leia said thoughtfully. "I wonder why."

"Probably because Obi-Wan and Yoda were trying to keep my birth a secret from Vader," Luke answered. "Besides, no one except Obi-Wan, Master Yoda, and apparently Bail Organa knew Padmé was married to Anakin, so they were probably trying to keep that a secret, too."

Distractedly, Leia nodded as Luke spoke. There was something odd about the situation to her, but she couldn't put her finger on just what it was that nagged at her. It was almost as if someone was tugging at her sleeve, trying to get her attention, but she couldn't see anyone there.

She glanced up to see Luke looking at her with an odd expression, like something was puzzling him, as well.

"What is it?" she asked him, her own puzzlement slowly fading away.

He didn't answer at first, still staring at her, but finally, he shook his head and blinked. "Oh, nothing," he answered. "I thought I… I thought I felt something. In the Force," he amended. "But it's gone now. It was probably nothing," he said dismissively.

Leia had no response for this; she knew nothing about the Force and its mysterious powers, and frankly the whole thing was mystifying to her, anyway. Jedi were an odd lot at times, but their power was something to be respected.

In Sith, it was something to be feared. Vader and his apprentice Darth Nova were definitely men that deserved the fear of most sentient beings; both had showed no qualms about using the Force for spectacularly destructive ends, particularly in the various conflicts in which the two had led the Empire during the last few years. The thought of how the two Sith Lords had ended the Ssi-Ruuk war still sent a periodic chill down Leia's spine, and it was one of her most fervent hopes that they never used that particular tactic ever again.

Her train of thought was further disrupted by a sharp rapping on the outer hull, and she glanced up to see Han waving at her through the security camera mounted outside the docking hatch, the enormous furry bulk of Chewbacca behind him. Leia tapped the controls that opened the hatch and lowered the ramp.

With a broad grin, the Corellian strode into the cockpit and patted Luke on the shoulder as he looked over at Leia. "Well, Your Highness," he began, winking at her, "you're going to be pretty happy with me; Chewie and I found a few merchants willing to sell the Rebel fleet some fuel and other supplies. Under the table, of course. There's an Imperial frigate patrolling this system."

Before Leia could speak, Han pulled a small datachip out of a pocket on his vest and handed it to her. "The patrol schedule, courtesy of a fellow smuggler. I didn't tell anyone who the supplies were really for, so you don't have to worry about word getting to the Imps."

"Thank you, Han," Leia said gratefully.

He grinned again. "Sure." The Corellian gestured with his thumb at the seat behind the one belonging to Chewbacca, indicating that she move there. "Now get out of my chair."

Han flashed a teasing smile at Leia as she frowned at him for his rudeness, and her frown took on an amused slant as she rolled her eyes at him. Luke chuckled as she rose and sarcastically gestured the smuggler into his customary seat as if it were a throne, inclining her head in mock obeisance.

The Corellian laughed as he sat down. "Apologies, Your Princesshood. Did I offend your royal sensibilities?"

"On a regular basis," Leia answered, smirking.

Chewbacca let out a barking laugh at this as he flipped switches on his console, readying the _Falcon_ for takeoff. Han grinned himself, shaking his head as he turned to his own controls.

* * *

Malysa Kolos had just finished closing up her lightsaber around its new red crystal when the chime on her door sounded. She kept the weapon in her hand as she walked over to answer it, thinking the visitor to be Lord Vader come to resume his 'lessons' in his view of the Force.

She steeled herself, making sure her mental barriers were firmly in place, and thus was surprised when the door opened to reveal not the Sith Master but a stormtrooper, his face hidden behind his white skull-like helmet.

The trooper said nothing for a moment, and Malysa looked at him with curiosity and a small amount of irritation, letting both show on her face. "Yes? What is it?" She reminded herself that she was supposed to be a Sith now, and that this intrusion was imposing on her valuable time. "Speak quickly!" she said, putting a demanding tone in her voice, close to anger.

The stormtrooper was silent a moment longer, his body language suggesting confusion. "This… These aren't Lieutenant Krotan's quarters?" he asked finally, his helmet making his tone flat and unemotional.

Malysa had to make herself put an arrogant sneer on her face and disdain in her tone, acting as much like a Sith as she could. "Obviously not," she said haughtily. "What's your designation, trooper? Perhaps I should inform your commander that his men get lost easily."

The trooper snapped to attention, his posture becoming abruptly rigid. "Trooper TK-421, ma'am. I apologize for the inconvenience. Take whatever disciplinary action you see fit."

Malysa raised an eyebrow, making a great show of studying him as if he were beneath her notice, an insect she was considering smashing beneath her boot. "Get out of here," she said finally, doing her best imitation of a Kuati noble dismissing a servant. "And in the future, pay better attention to where you're going."

The stormtrooper saluted. "Thank you, ma'am. Again, I apologize."

Malysa stepped back from her door and closed it in the trooper's face, adopting a rudeness typical of those who believed themselves superior.

Well, she thought to herself as she went back inside her quarters, if nothing else, at least she was working on her acting skills.

Behaving in such a manner was tiring, and she was further disgusted with the Sith who acted that way naturally. But, she reasoned, that was the influence of the Dark Side, and she would have to be very careful to not let it lead her in the same direction during her time with the Empire.

This was going to be a daunting task, Malysa realized, not for the first time. She only hoped she was up to it.

* * *

Trooper TK-421 found an unoccupied munitions storeroom further on down the hall from his sister's quarters and closed the door behind him. Tyraj removed his helmet and sat down on the low counter in front of one of the storage cabinets, deep in thought.

His brief visit to Malysa's quarters had removed any lingering traces of doubt from his mind; the young Sith woman could be no one else. He realized then that he had been hoping there was a chance, however slim, that the young woman he'd encountered several times was not, in fact, his sister, just someone who looked eerily similar.

Tyraj sighed, running a gloved hand through his closely cropped hair. What was he going to do now? Should he go back and tell his sister that he was here on the _Executor_ with her? Or was he better off letting her think he was just another faceless stormtrooper, one of thousands patrolling the Emperor's flagship?

She had certainly acted like a Sith; while Lord Vader himself was rarely arrogant in his behavior toward his subordinates, some of his students had apparently let their power and responsibility go to their heads and behaved as if the rest of the Imperial military were lower life forms they were forced to deal with.

Tyraj was, he realized, unsure of how his own sister would react upon learning her brother was serving on the same vessel. Would she even care?

And what of the evidence he'd found in his own helmet recording, that she had once been a Jedi and had been aboard Organa's vessel? Had she been turned by Lord Vader? If so, that was a relief, but the possibility nagged in the back of Tyraj's mind that her loyalty might not be quite what it seemed.

He knew from talking with some of the other troopers in the 501st - a few of them clone troopers who'd been serving with Lord Vader since the Clone Wars - that he usually offered Jedi the chance to join him when he confronted them, but almost none of them ever accepted, either attacking him or attempting to flee. Younger Jedi were more likely to accept, but Lord Vader was almost always forced to kill the mystics when he encountered them.

Tyraj put his helmet back on and headed back to his barracks, still thinking to himself. He hoped Malysa was genuinely loyal to the Empire now, but something still bothered him about the entire situation.

He would watch her discreetly, he decided. She had proven herself to be a traitor once before by joining with Lord Vader's enemies, and he would not give her the opportunity to do so twice.

Even if she was his sister.

* * *

-/\\-


	12. Starkiller

-/\\-

* * *

**Starkiller**

_Three weeks after the Battle of Yavin…_

Alone, deep within the innermost parts of the Imperial Star Destroyer _Gorgon_, Darth Nova knelt on the floor of his private meditation sphere and stared into the fiercely glowing blade of his scarlet lightsaber.

He had done this ever since he had first earned the right to construct his own weapon, found it oddly conducive to his dark meditations, as if the deadly blade purged all distractions, all errant thoughts from his mind as quickly and cleanly as the intense fire roiling at the heart of a sun.

This made Darth Nova remember how he had earned his name, the reason why some called him 'Starkiller', the incredible act of destruction he had unleashed and which his master had later repeated in order to end a war with a loathsome enemy. Only they two could have done this thing, and only as Sith. Jedi were too weak, too passive. The Ssi-Ruuk could not be negotiated with, any more than a black hole could be persuaded not to suck matter into its maw. Lord Vader knew what had to be done, and he had done it without hesitation, as Nova had done before him.

The difference between them was that while Vader took no pleasure in his own act of destruction, Nova had. He _enjoyed_ it. The disgusting lizards hadn't gotten a tenth of what they'd deserved.

Their fear had not lasted nearly long enough.

* * *

Galen Marek's earliest memory was of being scared. No, not scared, he thought, _frightened_. Something big and black and grim was after him, and he knew he shouldn't let it catch him or something bad would happen. It felt like he ran for hours, trying to get away from something he could not see.

The memory, he said to those few to whom he spoke to about it, was so faded by time that he no longer remembered where he had been or what, exactly, he had been running from, only that it was dark around him and he seemed to be in a forest of some kind, echoing with roars and screams as the small boy ran as fast as his short legs could carry him.

Another, more clear memory that seemed to be from about the same time was of him looking up at a tall man dressed all in black, a man with intense blue eyes that, although he was not smiling, seemed to hold some small measure of caring for the young Galen. He was holding out his hand, inviting the young boy to come with him, and although he was still scared, young Galen knew this grim man meant no real harm to him.

He took the hand, and from that point on, Galen Marek was Sith.

The man was Darth Vader, and though the boy did not know it at the time, Galen was Vader's first student. Before that, the Sith Lord had not considered passing on his view of the Force to others, but, as he would later tell Galen, his power was such that he could not be ignored.

Lord Vader brought the boy to his residence on Coruscant, a palatial building that had once been known as the Jedi Temple but was now empty of the people who had occupied it for so long. There, Vader taught young Galen to grasp the power within himself, the swirling current of energy known as the Force.

Vader did not coddle his new student. He forced him to overcome his fears and limitations, one by one, and through years of grueling, endless training, young Galen was hardened into a warrior. He was plunged into the fire, and under Lord Vader's hammer, his impurities and weaknesses were driven out, leaving him a deadly weapon harder than durasteel.

During his years of training, other men and women sometimes taught him; most were Jedi who had abandoned their destroyed order and joined with Lord Vader, but some were battle-hardened men that, although they had the same face, seemed different from one another. These clones, high-ranking members of the Emperor's personal legion, taught Galen to be faster, stronger, smarter, running him through a version of the training they had themselves gone through. They had survived a hundred battles, most of them at Lord Vader's side, and they regaled the boy with tales of the Sith Master's daring exploits during the Clone Wars, when he was still known as Anakin Skywalker.

Galen learned not to mention that name one day when he asked Lord Vader why he wasn't called 'Anakin' anymore.

The two of them had been in Lord Vader's office in the Senate building, decorated in black and dark gray, seeming dim and quiet even during the brightest part of the day. Galen had been about thirteen years old, by then one of a hundred students in the rechristened Sith Temple, and as Lord Vader's most promising pupil, he was usually with the Sith Master, even during political business.

Lord Vader had told him to run through the lightsaber forms with his practice saber while he did some datawork, and as Galen moved his training weapon through the patterns drilled into him by Lord Vader and others, he thought of the dashing young man with long hair and a quick smile he'd seen in the old footage the clones had shown him of a few of their battles. If not for the undeniable fact that the face was the same, Galen wouldn't have believed the Anakin Skywalker of the tapes was now Darth Vader, an almost completely different person.

Galen paused and looked up at Lord Vader, sitting at his desk, which was the same color black as the rest of the furnishings, and innocently asked him why he wasn't called Anakin Skywalker anymore.

Lord Vader stopped what he was doing and slowly looked up at his young student with an odd expression, a quality to his features that Galen had never seen before. Though he did not show it outwardly, Lord Vader was very angry - a deep, rumbling anger Galen could feel through the Force. He was suddenly very sorry he had asked.

While he had seen Lord Vader angry a number of times before, it had never been like this. This anger was terrifying on an entirely different level, and it snapped Galen back to his earliest memory, fleeing something large and dark and full of rage. Galen felt that terror creeping into the back of his mind again, telling him he should flee before it was too late.

Lord Vader was silent for a very long time, a silence that could only be described as ominous, and Galen found he could not move under the power of the Sith Master's glare.

When he finally spoke, he did not shout, nor did he reprimand or punish his student.

"That is no longer my name," he said quietly, a hint of pain hiding behind his still-ominous glare. "You will not mention Anakin Skywalker or anything he did in my presence again. Is that understood?"

Galen nodded slowly, still terrified for reasons he couldn't quite explain, even to himself. Lord Vader beckoned him closer, and the boy stepped to the edge of the huge black desk.

"I abandoned that name and left the man associated with it when I became Sith," Lord Vader said, still obviously angry but keeping it under a tight hold. "I was faced with a choice, a crucible, and I plunged myself into the fire to become something entirely different. Anakin Skywalker burned away on the day the Republic fell, and Darth Vader emerged in his place."

Lord Vader met Galen's eyes with his own piercing blue gaze. "One day, young Galen, you too will face a choice, your own crucible, when you must choose forever after whether your path is as Sith or something lesser. On that day, you must burn away the last remnants of your weaker self and become truly Sith. On that day, I will give you your Sith name and declare you my Apprentice, to one day lead the Order in my place."

Galen had known this already, in the back of his mind. It was no secret that he was the most powerful of Lord Vader's students, that much being obvious even now, and it was already expected that when Lord Vader finally named his Sith Apprentice, it would be Galen.

He turned back and resumed his lightsaber drills, wondering just why Lord Vader had become so angry upon the mention of his former name, but knowing better than to ask.

* * *

From that day forward, Galen Marek had a new goal, and he threw himself into it, devoting all his time to becoming the best Sith he could; he honed his body by practicing endlessly with his lightsaber, and honed his mind by delving into the deepest recesses of the Archives in search of new and better powers to share with his master so that they could both better accomplish the task of protecting the Empire.

For five more years he carried on this study, until his crucible arrived near the end of the Ssi-Ruuk war.

The Ssi-Ruuk, a reptilian species, had developed technology called 'entechment' that enabled them to drain the life force from living beings and use it as a power source. They used most of their enteched victims to power droid fighters, and with this fleet, they conquered most of their nearby systems, gaining more and more 'power sources' along the way.

Finally, this invasion was brought to Lord Vader's attention, and he decided to do something about it, knowing they would next encroach on the borders of his own Empire. Grand Admiral Thrawn helped him devise a battle strategy, bringing a vast array of collected data to the table during the planning stages - far too much to have been gathered by even the best intelligence network. It was rumored among the troops that Thrawn's mysterious people had fought the lizards in their own space.

Galen was present during the last of these meetings, standing rigidly behind his master's chair, moving nothing but his eyes as he absorbed the back-and-forth between the Emperor and his highest-ranking officer, regarded as the most senior of even the Grand Admirals due to his unparalleled intelligence and affinity for tactics. Clad in his typical black Imperial uniform with his lightsaber hanging from his belt in plain view, Galen already displayed a threatening image despite his young age.

He met the eyes of the other Sith student there, a girl with long red-gold hair and piercing green eyes, dressed in her own black uniform, who stood over Thrawn's shoulder at the other end of the table. Mara Jade returned his gaze steadily for a moment, then returned her attention to the holoprojector in the center of the table.

Grand Admiral Thrawn gestured to the display, and it rotated, zooming in on a binary system just beyond the borders of Imperial space.

"This system is of little importance to Imperial interests," Thrawn said in his usual measured, precise tone. His subtly glowing red eyes flicked up to meet the Emperor's through the transparent hologram. "However, I believe the Ssi-Ruuk are establishing a base there from which to strike at the Empire. We have destroyed several of their fleets, and I believe they are preparing a counterattack."

He adjusted the display again, the lights casting colored shadows on his white uniform, and the picture zoomed in further, shifting to long-distance, grainy camera footage that had been sifted through enhancers a number of times but was still faintly fuzzy. It showed a huge number of ships swarming over the planet closest to the double suns, some enormous battleships but most tiny specks that had to be fighters.

Thrawn gestured to the girl standing behind him. "I have reviewed this footage and other information provided by your agent, and it appears that the Ssi-Ruuk have divided their remaining ships into two great fleets; one in this system and one which I have not yet been able to locate. I believe it to be in their home system, defending it against a potential attack by our forces."

Lord Vader nodded, leaning back in his chair as he crossed his arms over his chest. "How many ships would we need to overcome such a force?" he asked.

"Most of the Third and Fourth Fleets," Thrawn replied. "We would need a large number of fighters to counter their own smaller squadrons, but an _Imperial-_class Star Destroyer is more than a match for a Ssi-Ruuk battleship. We need only to provide greater numbers than their own, and," he paused, a faint ghost of a smile flickering along his lips for a moment, "superior tactics, to win such a conflict."

"But," the Grand Admiral continued, resuming his normal serious expression, "committing so much of our fleet to such an endeavor would leave gaps in our defenses, through which the other half of their fleet might attempt to enter the Empire. Their technology allows them to very quickly replenish any losses with captives, so they cannot be allowed to conquer any systems within our borders."

Lord Vader was silent for a long moment. Finally, he looked over at Galen, and the young man quickly approached to hear what his master had to say.

"The Force tells me something important will happen in a battle with this fleet. Take your Star Destroyer squadron there and give assistance to Thrawn's fleet however you can." He met Galen's eyes with a serious look in his own. "Be mindful of the Force, and listen to what it tells you. Find the enemy's weakness and exploit it."

Galen bowed his head in acknowledgment. "Yes, my Master."

Lord Vader next looked to Thrawn. "Take whatever resources you will need to crush this fleet, but see to the defense of the border near the Ssi-Ruuk Imperium before you leave. I will see to the other threats myself."

Thrawn nodded at this; only he and Vader knew what those 'other threats' were. The two men had been coordinating something for years that only they knew the details of, since Lord Vader had not seen fit to tell even Galen what he and the Grand Admiral were up to along the border near the Unknown Regions. It was big, whatever it was; Galen knew that over the years, they'd quietly diverted a number of Star Destroyers and personnel there until there had to be a sizable fleet wherever they were sending them.

"Jade," Vader continued, glancing up at the girl, "find the rest of the Ssi-Ruuk fleet."

She nodded sharply. "Yes, my Master."

Galen hid a smirk; that was all the instruction the Emperor's Hand needed. She would probably have the rest of her mission organized by herself before she got to her ship in the hangar several levels below.

Lord Vader stood, his long black cloak swirling with the sudden movement. "Dismissed."

* * *

Later, Galen stood beside Admiral Daala, the commander of his personal Star Destroyer squadron, on the bridge of the squadron's command ship, _Gorgon_. They were a few thousand kilometers from Thrawn's _Chimaera_, watching as the Grand Admiral coordinated the battle with the Ssi-Ruuk fleet.

So far, it was going well, but something seemed off about the battle to Galen, and he kept feeling prickles through the Force, though he wasn't sure what it was he supposed to be seeing.

Daala, a tall woman with a long mane of thick coppery red hair, stood silently beside her Sith commander, hands clasped behind her back as her penetrating green eyes surveyed the battle. Her long hair far exceeded the Imperial regulations, but neither Galen or Lord Vader ever said anything about it; her competence as an officer put them both in an accepting frame of mind for her one deviation from regulations. It had something to do with her time in the academy at Carida, but Galen had never bothered to find out more than that, since he honestly didn't care.

As he watched the holo-displays, Galen passed a gloved hand over his short dark hair, cropped close to his scalp. Thrawn was crushing the enemy fleet, as could be expected, and Galen was beginning to wonder what, if any, assistance he could provide the Grand Admiral in the battle.

The prickling grew stronger, and something compelled Galen to glance over at the section of the display showing the binary suns of the system, now at the closest point in their orbits. As he noticed something there, Galen moved closer to the holoprojector and leaned in.

"What is it, my lord?" Daala asked. Galen was well more than a decade her junior, but Sith were to be respected throughout the military.

Galen zoomed in on the glint between the two suns. "What are those ships doing over there?" he said, more to himself than Daala.

The admiral called for a sensor report on the area Galen had indicated, and once she had it, she approached and manipulated the projector. "Two heavy cruisers and eight full squadrons of enteched fighters," she said, looking through the display at the Sith. "Probably reserves, though with the pounding Thrawn's giving them, they should be sending those ships in any minute."

"But they're not," Galen said, feeling the strong pull through the Force more than ever. "They're up to something…"

Almost as soon as he finished speaking, the Ssi-Ruuk ships spread out in their formation, leaving a large gap in the center. A roiling solar flare interfered with the view for a moment, but it cleared just in time for the camera to catch a dozen more heavy cruisers and a swarm of fighters reverting from hyperspace.

Galen leaped over to the communications board. "Open a channel to the _Chimaera_!" he barked. "Fast!"

The comm officer quickly obeyed, and the face of the _Chimaera_'s comm officer appeared. "Get me Thrawn!" Galen said before the young man could answer.

A moment later, Thrawn's blue-skinned face and the white shoulders of his uniform appeared on the small screen. _"What is it, my lord?_" he asked, his tone polite, but making it clear that the interruption had better be for a good reason.

"The lizards have just sent in another fleet!" Galen said, punching buttons on the comm console as he sent the Grand Admiral the footage he'd just watched. Due to their position, high above the battle, the _Gorgon_'s sensors could reach an area unavailable to the rest of the fleet.

Thrawn's red eyes flicked back and forth over his own screen as he quickly looked over the data. "_This nearly doubles their fleet,_" he said. "_Interesting; they waited until my fleet had been depleted by theirs before sending in reinforcements. I believe their strategy was to wear my fleet down with one half before sending the other in fresh to finish us off._" He glanced up at Galen, meeting his eyes through the transmission. "_Recommendations?_"

Galen thought for a moment, and then a slow smile spread over his face as he recalled a story Lord Vader had once told him about the ancient Sith Lord Naga Sadow.

"I'll handle this," he said, calculations whirling through his head. "Keep going with this fleet, and I'll handle the other one."

Though he was careful not to let it show on his face, Thrawn was either very surprised or very interested. _"Might I ask what you are planning, my lord?_" he inquired, glancing briefly off-screen at something happening on his own bridge. "_We are now greatly outnumbered, and our own reinforcements are several hours away."_

Galen just grinned wolfishly. "We're not going to be needing them, Admiral," he said confidently. "We have the Force."

With that, he switched off the channel and turned to Daala. "Send the _Basilisk_ and the _Manticore_ to Grand Admiral Thrawn's fleet, and tell the _Hydra_ to hold position here."

Daala cocked a disbelieving eyebrow. "We're going by ourselves, my lord?"

Galen just smiled again, the grin of a predator about to pounce on unsuspecting prey. "We need speed for this, Admiral, not firepower. Tell the engineering department that we're going to need all the speed they can give us."

The look she gave him nearly mirrored Thrawn's earlier expression, suspecting him of either being insane or having some trick up his sleeve. But, she knew better than to countermand the orders of a Sith who appeared to still be in command of his faculties, and so obeyed.

The _Gorgon_ rushed for the space between the binary suns at top speed in what seemed to be a suicidal charge, and Galen could almost sense the surprise and contempt of the enemy commanders. They didn't even fire for a few moments, probably wondering just what in all nine Corellian hells had gotten into this lone Star Destroyer's commander.

The radiation from the suns began to interfere with their sensors, and static hissed through the displays, causing more than a few of them to flicker. This was the reason Galen had ordered the _Hydra_ to hold position; they could relay the _Gorgon_'s communications to the rest of the fleet from their coordinates.

As the _Gorgon_ soared right at the enemy formation, Galen ordered all batteries to open fire with everything they had. The enemy ships fired back, but by then _Gorgon_ was going fast enough that the enemy gunners were having a hard time locking on. The shields absorbed those that managed to hit the Star Destroyer.

"Keep us steady for a few moments, Admiral," Galen said, moving so that he faced the majority of the Ssi-Ruuk fleet, and stretched out his arms.

_Size means nothing_, he thought to himself, remembering one of Lord Vader's lessons. _It's the same as moving pebbles; no different at all._

He let his eyes fall half-closed as he reached deep into the Force and summoned an enormous amount of power. He sent dozens of tendrils of Force energy questing out for the two nearest battleships, the two closest in the formation.

Galen took a deep breath, and when he was sure his hold was secure, he opened his eyes and placed each hand in line with one of the battleships. When he moved his hands slightly apart, incredibly, the two huge enemy ships moved, also, through nothing detectable by sensors. He could sense Daala's surprise next to him, but in the next moment, he blocked out all distractions.

He halted the drift, then, seizing both ships again, smashed them together with colossal force. Galen could sense the shock and fear of every officer on the bridge as they watched the Ssi-Ruuk ships collide with enough momentum to completely obliterate them both, huge roiling fireballs consuming much of the wreckage as the munitions and other critical systems ruptured in the grossly unnatural event.

"I've…" Daala said in shock beside him. "I've never seen anything like that before!"

Galen breathed deeply as he continued to draw upon the Force. "That was just to get their attention," he murmured, looking out at the suddenly confused enemy fleet.

"That's right," he said softly. "Come get me. Send everything you have."

As if prompted, the enemy fleet surged after the rapidly fleeing _Gorgon_, moving almost as one in their determination to eradicate this inexplicable new weapon of the Empire.

"My lord?" Daala said, the smallest hint of nervousness in her voice.

"Let them chase us," Galen replied, his voice strained. "Head between the suns."

As the Star Destroyer shot with all the speed its engines could summon between the binary suns, the Ssi-Ruuk surged after them like a pack of beasts, nearly colliding with one another in their angry swarm after the lone Imperial vessel.

Galen reached deep into both suns with the Force, feeling it roar through him like a river of fire. He was merely the conduit, he knew; the Force could do so much that it was impossible to imagine its limits.

When much of the fleet was engaged in the pursuit, between the two suns, Galen struck. He pushed deeper and deeper into the swirling plasma, and then, feeling like his skin was blistering from the heat and the power swirling through him, Galen pulled _out_.

A loud groan of effort slipped out between his clenched teeth as the surface of the twin suns began to boil, and with a suddenness that made several of the officers on the _Gorgon_'s bridge gasp with surprise and fear, two huge solar flares, thousands of kilometers long, erupted out of the surface of both suns in a gargantuan imitation of a volcanic eruption, stretching out like ragged fingers of fire.

As Galen kept pulling, a thousand kilometers quickly became a hundred thousand, then nearly a million, and the two unnaturally long flares met and smashed together right in the middle of the Ssi-Ruuk fleet, completely obliterating them in a storm of plasma so hot it vaporized the lizards' ships before the actual matter even reached them.

The two long arms of fire met for a moment, like lovers touching hands, then slowly began to fall back under the gravity of their respective suns.

As Galen let his hands drop, exhausted, he could sense the terror of many a crewman scattered about the Imperial vessel as they realized that their Sith commander had done this through the Force.

Exhausted but exhilarated, Galen turned to Daala and wiped the sheen of sweat from his face. "Send a message to Thrawn," he said, seized with the excitement of what he had just done. He needed more, needed to feel the Force flowing through him like that again while he was still capable of handling it.

"Tell him to disengage and get the fleet to the edge of the system. His only task now is to keep them from escaping."

"What are you going to do?" Daala asked, still so shocked by what she had seen that protocol was forgotten. Galen dismissed it; she hadn't seen anything yet.

His lips pulled back from his teeth in a feral snarl of dark anticipation. He knew both by Daala's surprised look and his own level of awareness that his eyes had turned to a burning yellow from the depth of his plunge into the Dark Side.

This was his crucible, Galen knew. Today would be the last day he lived as Galen Marek; there was no way he could touch this kind of power and emerge from the other side the same person as before. The fires of this system's suns would burn away Galen Marek and leave in his place a Sith Lord, one worthy to be Lord Vader's heir. The Force would show him the way.

"Head for the edge of the system, sublight speed only," he said, his voice nearly a growl now with the strength of his rage.

The officers around him rushed to obey, and he fell back into the Force, drawing on it like never before, amplifying his earlier connection a hundredfold. He seized the hearts of the suns themselves, pouring every bit of his power into his hold.

He ripped; he tore; he snatched and he smashed, speeding up the reaction in the hearts of both stars far beyond their natural pace. He laughed and he screamed, exulting in the unimaginable power flowing through his body and at his command. There was nothing, _nothing_ he could not do.

Finally, as the telltale signs began to appear on the sensor boards, he heard the officers around him shouting in panic and awe, saying out loud what he already knew, what was now an eventuality, a calamity, an unstoppable force that could not now be reversed. The world seemed to fade away into a white haze as he pulled more and more, now screaming uncontrollably from the incredible agony of the energy surging through him; it hurt like nothing ever had before, hurt so much he thought he might go mad, but it was also the purest bliss, the most intense pleasure he had yet experienced.

Finally, as he heard Daala barking orders as if from a very great distance away, he sensed that he had accomplished what he set out to do, and he let go of the power. It seemed to take his very life with it, and he dropped to the deckplates in a heap before anyone could catch him, his clothes actually smoking from the residual effects of the power he had channeled.

He heard the order given to jump to hyperspace, and then he heard no more, for he slipped into the great black abyss of unconsciousness.

* * *

When he awoke days later, the first thing he saw was Darth Vader himself standing over his bed in the medical bay. The Sith Master was actually smiling, something he hardly ever did.

His deep blue eyes shone with pride, and as he stepped closer, Lord Vader clasped his hands behind his back over his cloak.

"Can you stand?" he asked.

Vader's first student drew upon the Force as he rose from the bed, but he found he could not maintain the strength, and he unsteadily dropped to one knee before his master.

"You have done something no other user of the Force, Sith or Jedi, could have done," Lord Vader said, his pride and his satisfaction abundantly clear.

The apprentice had never heard his master express such pride in him before, and through his fog of disorientation and pain, he felt his scalp tingle with his own pride and happiness.

"There can be no other," Lord Vader continued. "Only you are worthy to become Sith Apprentice, and one day lead the Order in my place. Only you have the power to learn the deepest mysteries of the Force at my side."

He looked down at his student. "I sense the change within you. The last remnants of the frightened little boy you were when I found you are gone. You are now a Sith Lord, the same as I. You will be called Darth…" he paused for a moment, thinking it over, "Nova."

The apprentice nodded slowly. It was a fitting name for the person he now was; as with his master before him, Galen Marek was gone, and Darth Nova had taken his place.

* * *

Darth Nova quickly became known as 'the Starkiller' among the troops, and as the nickname amused him, he adopted it as another Sith title. It served to remind those who served under him what he was capable of.

He and his master discussed the battle at length as Nova recovered, and as the younger Sith Lord described what he had done, Lord Vader thought it over carefully. He was, he told his apprentice, positive he was capable of doing the same thing.

As it turned out, he was right. The Ssi-Ruuk war became a total rout under the leadership of Grand Admiral Thrawn and the two Sith Lords, until they had driven the lizards from every corner of the galaxy back to their home system, where the Ssi-Ruuk gathered the last ragged remnants of their fleet for a final stand.

From the bridge of his flagship, the newly completed Super Star Destroyer _Executor_, Lord Vader offered the Ssi-Ruuk Imperium the chance to surrender, under the terms that they destroy all of their entechment technology and any blueprints for the machines, and also never again leave their home system with the intent to conquer.

The lizards responded by charging, weapons blazing.

Grimly, Lord Vader commanded the rest of the fleet to retreat to the edge of the system and his own ship to pull back and set the calculations for the jump in order.

Many of the officers on the bridge crew later reported that it seemed the very air itself crackled with the Emperor's power as he stretched out his arms and became still as a statue for several long minutes. It was almost painful to be within several meters of him, and his face was wracked with concentration and apparent pain.

Slowly, the star at the heart of the Ssi-Ruuvi home system began to behave oddly, according to the sensor officer's readings. But then, as the reaction built and it became apparent what was about to happen, Admiral Ozzel started to order a retreat. Vader silenced him with a glare, then returned to his task.

Several moments later, Lord Vader sagged against the bulkhead next to him in exhaustion. "Now," he said in Ozzel's direction, a dangerous edge to his tone, "you may retreat."

The _Executor_ leaped to hyperspace and emerged at a safe distance along with the rest of the fleet. There, every man, woman, or alien to whom gender could not be applied aboard the massed Star Destroyers bore witness to a sight not one of them ever forgot.

The star at the heart of the Ssi-Ruuk system went supernova in a cataclysmic explosion that completely obliterated everything in the system, making the Ssi-Ruuk extinct in an instant. The explosion was so bright that the fleet's viewscreens were darkened near to opacity and still the light was too bright to look at directly.

In the successive days, as word spread about what had happened, the Imperial Senate erupted in outrage over what they called 'excessive measures' and demanded that Lord Vader reveal what weapon he and his newly confirmed apprentice had used to destroy the two systems' suns. Lord Vader responded by publicly choking one of the more vocal detractors of his actions until the man turned blue, then releasing him so that he collapsed, gasping, at the Emperor's feet.

In a dangerous tone, he informed the rest of the Senate that his word was final and that he did not have to answer to them for anything. This was _not_ the Republic, he reminded them, and ultimately _they_ answered to _him_, not the other way around.

"The Senate's responsibility is to aid the Emperor in governing the Empire," Vader said from the central podium of the Galactic Senate chamber, his detractor still gasping for breath on the floor beside him. "Emperor Palpatine saw that the corrupt bureaucracy of the old Republic was too mired in intrigue and their own interests to serve the people of the galaxy, so he implemented the policies on which I base my rule."

He looked out over the Senate with a dark glare, an expression those in the Senate had come to know only too well in recent years. "My decisions are final," he repeated, a threatening edge in his voice. "I do not have to justify myself to this body, but I will tell you that these 'extreme measures' were not undertaken lightly."

He leaned forward and uttered a statement that terrified everyone listening, both in the chamber and on the HoloNet.

"I used no weapon on the Ssi-Ruuvi star. I used only the power of the Force, the same as my apprentice. Those who oppose my rule would do well to remember this."

To first stunned silence, then a cacophonous uproar, Lord Vader retracted the central podium into the floor of the Senate rotunda, and made no further statements.

Darth Nova and his master watched a bit of the news coverage, and while Lord Vader's face remained expressionless, the Starkiller smirked at the back-and-forth of the media, discussing in their forums if it was really true that the Emperor and his Sith Apprentice had the power to ignite stars by themselves, and more importantly, if they would do this to any systems that dissented against the Empire. Such a weapon, the braver pundits ventured, showed that the Emperor was a tyrant, using fear to hold the people of his Empire in line.

Sitting in Lord Vader's office, Nova gestured at the holoprojector. "Fools. They should be terrified. At least now they have the proper respect for our power."

Vader said nothing for a moment, but waited until his apprentice looked in his direction before meeting his eyes with a deadly serious expression.

"We must only use this new power in the direst of circumstances," he said gravely. "I will not be known as a man who eradicates his opponents on a whim." He stood and began to walk around the perimeter of his office, hands clasped behind his back.

"Not only does this power place an incredible strain on the body," he said, gesturing to Nova with one hand, "as you well know, but it is such an extreme measure, as the Senate rightfully called it, that we cannot use it unless there is no other conceivable alternative."

He stopped, looking out of the expansive window at the frenzied traffic beyond and the enormous skyscrapers of the Coruscant skyline. "The people are right to fear us," Vader said quietly. "Perhaps now this Rebellion will reconsider its pointless uprising."

Grimly, Nova thought to himself that it was more probable that the stubborn Rebels would fight all the more fiercely now. As it turned out, he was exactly right.

* * *

Deep within the _Gorgon_, Nova ceased his meditations on the past, slowly bringing himself back to the present. It had been several weeks since the disastrous Battle of Yavin, where a group of Rebels in fighters had humbled the Emperor's mighty flagship. Nova had had no contact with his master in that time, and had been forced to draw his own conclusions on what had happened there.

Most interesting was the news of a Luke Skywalker, touted by some as a possible relative of Anakin. Lord Vader himself had issued a statement denouncing the Rebellion for using the name of his former self in an attempt to gain sympathy and create an air of legitimacy for their terrorist activities, and placed an incredibly high bounty on the young Jedi's head, telling the citizens of the Empire that it was their duty to turn him in if they spotted him or any of his compatriots.

A low, insistent buzzing alerted Darth Nova to the fact that someone was trying to contact him on his private comm. Recognizing the code from the pattern of the buzzing, he rushed off immediately to answer it.

The holoprojector in the next room flickered to life, displaying in larger-than-life size the head and shoulders of Darth Vader, supreme ruler of the galaxy. Nova kept his head bowed, seeing only the bottom of the image.

"_Rise_," Lord Vader said, his voice echoing slightly from the chamber's speakers.

Nova stood and met his master's remaining eye through the transmission, the other covered by a black patch. Nova was frankly astonished that someone of Lord Vader's skill and power could be bested by a gaggle of disorganized Rebels, even if this Luke Skywalker was all the reports claimed him to be.

"What is your bidding, my Master?" Nova asked, clasping his hands behind his back.

"_You have a new target,_" the Emperor said. "_A young Rebel named Luke Skywalker. You are to bring him to me alive and unharmed."_

The Starkiller hid his reaction beneath an expressionless mask. He had been expecting this, and in fact looked forward to hunting down another Jedi, especially one like this new Skywalker.

"Who is he, Master?" Nova asked. He had heard some, from the news reports, but he wanted to hear it from his master.

"_That is none of your concern_," Lord Vader said with a trace of irritation. _"Your mission now is to find the Rebels and bring me Skywalker._"

Nova bowed his head. "I will obey, my Master."

Vader's image nodded once. _"Good. I am certain you will accomplish this in short order._" He leaned forward, glaring balefully at his apprentice with his single remaining eye. "_Do not harm him, Nova. If you do, I will end you._"

Nova again bowed his head in acknowledgment, feeling the slightest pressure at his throat. "As you say, Master," he said, knowing the Sith Master meant every word.

Whoever Luke Skywalker really was, he was very important to Lord Vader for some reason. Nova was suddenly very interested in knowing why.

"_Whatever resources you will need are at your command,_" Lord Vader continued. "_Do not disappoint me._"

With that, he cut the communication from his end, and his image vanished.

The Starkiller turned and strode to his inner chamber again, where he spent a long time gazing at the mural that covered the entire spherical wall. It was a still image of the twin suns he had ignited, taken from the _Gorgon_'s external camera recordings of the battle. It had been arranged so that it seemed he floated in empty space, watching the double suns die under the power of the Force.

He looked forward to capturing this Luke Skywalker and helping the Emperor break him. From what he could tell of the boy, the two Sith Lords would either be able to convert the young Jedi to their cause or they would be forced to kill him. He was too powerful to be allowed loose in the galaxy fighting for the opposing side.

Privately, in thoughts he kept firmly walled off from anyone but himself, Darth Nova hoped events would flow down the latter path. No one but he and Lord Vader deserved to have this kind of power.

Perhaps not even Vader.

* * *

-/\\-


	13. The Emperor's Hand

-/\\-

* * *

**The Emperor's Hand**

_One year after the Battle of Yavin…_

Mara Jade sat alone in one of the lounges of _Home One_. The room was dark, lit only by the faint silver pinpricks of the endless star-field that she could see through the bubble of the observation dome above her. The star-field stretched off into infinite blackness, seeming like a jeweled blanket draped around the warship. Space this far out had an empty feel to it, but the innumerable sparkling points scattered throughout the velvety darkness burned brightly, islands of light in the sea of black.

The Rebel flagship was stationary for once, a rare break in the never-ending flight from the Empire. _Home One_ and the rest of the Rebel fleet had paused for a few hours, taking a breath from the chase.

Of course, if it weren't for her presence here, the Rebels might have more of these precious breaks. Although her 'friends' with the Rebellion didn't suspect a thing, Mara was, in fact, a servant of that Empire, a spy within their ranks. Even now, she knew, she should be finding ways to send information to her master, Darth Vader, so that he could capture the Rebels and end this chase. But lately, her communication with her master had been rather scarce.

Had it really been six months since she'd left him a transmission? Mara leaned back in her chair, gazing up at the star-field, and wondered which of those stars her master was currently orbiting, whether on a planet or his massive flagship.

Well, she reflected, there really hadn't been any good chances to do so, after all. She was under deep cover and could not afford to compromise her position, right? Naturally. She was just biding her time, waiting for the perfect opportunity to aid her master.

As she reflected on her purpose here, Mara found herself drifting back to the first time she had met her master, back to her earliest memories.

* * *

Mara Jade's first memory was of being lost in a crowd of people. Tall, unfamiliar forms pressed in around her on all sides, shoving her this way and that as the tiny girl tried to navigate the sea of life forms. The noise of a thousand beings from a hundred different planets swelled around her in a horrible cacophony of gibberish. She was alone, with no anchor of anything, any presence she was accustomed to, adrift in the tide of people, and for the only time she could remember, Mara Jade cried in fear.

Looking back, she thought she couldn't have been more than three or four at the time, and it still nagged at her that her parents hadn't been there with her. It still bothered her that they wouldn't come make her feel safe, why they weren't looking for their little girl, lost and alone with tears streaming down her face.

No one in the crowd paid her the slightest bit of notice, and after what felt like hours of wandering, being jostled about by the crowd, little Mara had finally found a quiet spot that was out of the way where she sat down and waited for someone to come find her. From thinking about it later, she thought she had perhaps been at a terminal of some kind, a spaceport or some other sort of travel station. Most of what she remembered about the place was that it was loud, and smelled of exhaust and the mixed odors of the crowd. It terrified her, and she curled into a ball with her back against something metal and cold, waiting for someone to come find her.

Eventually, as the crowd kept moving, a shadow blocked out the sun overhead.

Mara looked up to see a tall, broad-shouldered man standing above her, his outline distorted by the long black cloak that fell from his shoulders. Her eyes widened as she looked up at the silent dark figure above her, his face obscured by the shadows cast by the sun at his back. She felt an overwhelming sense of power radiating from the man, and her body tensed.

She was ready to flee from the frightening dark man, but something held her back, a sense that although he was powerful, that power was also held under control, and that it would not hurt her, perhaps it would even protect her. Mara knew now that he had touched her mind through the Force, but to a frightened little girl it had felt more like she had been scooped up into the strong arms of her father.

Finally, the man knelt, and she saw his face for the first time. He didn't smile, but his blue eyes seemed kind, though he seemed sad, too. She still clearly recalled the first thing he said to her.

"Don't cry."

The words were gentle, yet they carried an unmistakable note of command. So, she stopped crying and wiped her nose, looking at this big man with intense blue eyes who both scared her and made her not be scared at the same time.

The man held out a hand. "You don't have to be scared anymore. Come with me, and you'll never be lost again."

Oddly, Mara thought she could trust this man, even though she had never seen him before. She knew he was telling the truth, somehow, that he really did want to help her, to make her feel safe when all these other people ignored her and pushed her out of the way.

She made her decision in that moment. Standing up, Mara Jade wiped tears from her face for the last time. She took Darth Vader's hand and never cried again.

* * *

The hiss of the door opening and soft, almost hesitant footsteps behind her brought Mara back to the present. She glanced back and saw a figure silhouetted in the doorway by the light in the hall beyond.

Judging from the long, wavy hair and the loose-fitting robes, it could be no one other than Luke Skywalker. He had let his hair grow out over the last year, and whether he was doing it deliberately or not, he now looked more like the Anakin Skywalker of the Clone Wars era than ever before.

But there was one obvious difference; his eyes, though they were the same color as his father's, held a sense of innocence still, and also a deep-seated innate gentleness that Mara had never seen in his father. If Anakin's eyes had ever been like his son's, the events of his life had hardened them long years ago.

Mara shook her head slightly. What was she thinking? She was a loyal servant of the Empire, and the only reason she was getting close to Luke Skywalker was so she could turn him in to his father, her master. Her master, who had rescued her when no one else seemed to even notice her existence. The man who had taught her that she didn't have to be afraid. It was just his reflection that she appreciated in his son.

"Something you need, farm-boy?" she asked, using her teasing nickname for the young man.

There he went, blushing whenever she talked to him. Even if Han Solo teased him about it incessantly, she found it a bit endearing, in a cute puppy-dog kind of way. A cute puppy that she was going to turn over to his enemy…

_Focus, Jade_, she reminded herself.

"I… well… ah," Luke stuttered, embarrassed.

Mara smirked. "Well, go on. Out with it, Skywalker. I don't have all day here."

Luke brought one hand up to rub the back of his neck. What made this so amusing was that he'd faced down uncountable numbers of Imperial troops virtually without fear, pulled off daring rescues and other almost unbelievable exploits, and yet he still stumbled all over himself when trying to talk to the girl he liked.

Mara leaned back in her chair and adopted a patient expression. What she kept to herself was that she privately found it just as unnerving to talk to him. Luke reminded her so much of his father, but at the same time he was so different that she couldn't believe he was Darth Vader's son.

"Well… Admiral Ackbar is organizing some scouting missions to look for a new base," he began, visibly forcing himself to relax his posture, "since the Empire has found our last couple more quickly than we'd anticipated."

What he didn't know was that he was talking to the reason why those bases had been found so quickly. Mara found it a very strange feeling to live and work with people she was, at least in theory, supposed to be trying to kill. It felt almost like betrayal, but that was ridiculous, wasn't it?

"I've been asked to choose a crew for my own mission," Luke continued, "and I was wondering if maybe you'd like to go with me."

Mara couldn't resist a bit of teasing. "Shouldn't you be making that an order, _Commander_ Skywalker?"

Luke blushed, exactly the reaction she'd been hoping for. "I… well…"

Mara laughed as she stood and playfully clapped his shoulder. "Sure, I'll go with you, Skywalker. Who else is going, Solo and his furry friend?"

Luke shook his head. "No, Han and Chewie are off on a run right now. We'll be taking a scout ship."

Mara smirked again. "I don't know why Solo keeps playing at smuggling. He's as much of a Rebel as you, even if he doesn't want to admit it."

"I don't know, either," Luke replied, shrugging. "That's just Han, I guess."

It finally caught in Mara's mind that this man was supposed to be her enemy. What was she doing, acting like his friend?

It was all part of her cover, another part of her mind offered. If these Rebels thought her one of them, they would be less likely to realize she was an Imperial spy.

Yes, that was as good an explanation as any.

"So," she said, more to distract herself from her persistent train of thought than anything else, "who else is going?"

"A pilot, named Dak," Luke replied. "The scout ship's only big enough for three. We're leaving this afternoon at sixteen-hundred hours."

Mara gave him a teasing salute. "Yes sir, Commander Skywalker," she said, smirking again. Luke blushed again, and she laughed. He was just too much fun to mess with.

She gently punched his shoulder as she left the room. "See you in the hangar, farm-boy," she said, walking off down the hallway.

As she drew closer to her quarters, a more serious part of her mind took over; the assassin, the sniper, the Imperial agent trained by Darth Vader himself. This mission would be a perfect opportunity, the agent part of her mind insisted. Alone on a scouting mission with Luke, she could easily overpower the pilot, sedate Skywalker, and take the scout ship directly to her master. It would more than make up for neglecting her mission for so long.

But, the other part of her mind, the part that had slowly been making friends with the Rebels, the part that had been putting off sending another report for months - an almost unforgivably long time for even a deep-cover agent - quietly objected, not wanting to see Luke end up in Vader's clutches.

Mara knew what would happen if she brought Luke to his father; she had watched him train others, and had been trained herself. She knew Vader's methods; his son would go into the training Luke Skywalker but come out someone else entirely.

* * *

"Release your anger!"

Darth Vader sent a powerful Force shove out at the young Mara Jade, now in her early teens, and knocked her sprawling across the floor of the training room.

She got to her feet, but he sent out another wave and threw her back into the wall with painful, jarring force. Her training saber slipped from her fingers and clattered away, and he swooped in, his own training saber swinging down in a long arc that would meet her shoulder.

Mara dove out of the way, twisting under another pull of the Force from her master, and emerged from her roll with her weapon in hand. She ignited the white practice blade, angling it in a defensive pattern as Lord Vader jumped over, swinging his weapon in a blindingly fast offensive series of slashes.

She knew what he was doing; he was trying to frustrate her into becoming so angry she touched the Dark Side and let it influence her during battle. But, some inner part of her didn't want to.

Combining lightsaber attacks with a barrage of Force shoves and pulls, Lord Vader charged in a whirlwind, trying to overwhelm her.

"Anger can make you stronger," he said as she tumbled to the floor again, nursing a good-sized bruise on her upper arm. "It gives you power. If you allow yourself to become angry with your opponent, to hate him, you will find a reserve of energy that will let you overpower him."

Mara shouted in frustration as he tripped her with the Force when she tried to get up, knocking her on her face again. Furious, she leaped to her feet and threw her hand out toward her teacher, intending to shove him back.

Instead, twisting bolts of lightning leaped from her fingers, crashing into Lord Vader with all the strength of her frustration and anger. Further aggravating her, he blocked them all with his lightsaber, skillfully sweeping the blade to intercept each bolt.

"Good," he said, smiling broadly. "Very good."

But nothing felt good about it. Mara was surprised that she had used Force Lightning, as that had not at all been what she intended to do. Conflicting emotions swirled within her, confusing her, and she found herself disoriented momentarily.

"But, you must balance your anger," Vader continued, seemingly not noticing her confusion. "You cannot allow your anger to control you; to immerse yourself that deeply into the Dark Side will eventually turn you into a monster, a mindless animal seeking only more violence."

Calming down, Mara nodded, still trying to process what had happened.

"The Light Side of the Force brings calm, serenity," said Lord Vader. "With it, you can control your anger, make it a tool to serve you, your servant instead of your master. But," he warned, raising a hand to emphasize his point, "as with the Dark Side, too much of an immersion in the Light can weaken you. If you allow yourself to rise too high into the Light Side, all aggression is purged, and you are left unwilling to take the necessary measures to act."

His features adopted a disgusted expression, close to a sneer. "The old Jedi Order claimed once that the Dark Side was clouding their perceptions, diminishing their ability to use the Force." Lord Vader gestured to himself. "They found me, and thought I was the fulfillment of a prophecy, the Chosen One to bring balance to the Force."

Mara nodded as she sat down on the floor, crossing her legs beneath her. She adjusted the legs of her workout shorts as she waited for Lord Vader to continue.

He shrugged his broad shoulders beneath his own sleeveless black shirt, glancing out of the wide window at one end of the room at the Coruscant traffic outside. Finally, he resumed his lesson.

"The Jedi claimed that somehow the Sith's use of the Dark Side was affecting their own powers, and that I, in destroying the Sith, would bring the Force back into balance. I do not believe this to be the truth. I think the Jedi's weakening was due to their own unwillingness to touch the more powerful aspects of the Force. They were weakening themselves."

He held his hands out on front of himself. "I am right-handed," he said, flexing the mechanical fingers of that hand. "Suppose I were to cut off my left hand simply because I use it less often. Would such a decision be foolish?"

"Of course," Mara replied. "You have two hands for a reason; only using one would handicap you."

Vader leaned forward slightly, an approving smile quirking his lips slightly. "Exactly. The Force is the same; using only one side is just as foolish as only using one of your hands."

"Then what was the prophecy supposed to mean?" Mara asked. Her master had never discussed this particular subject with her before. "How are you supposed to bring the Force into balance?"

Lord Vader gestured to the training room around them, and by extension the rest of the Sith Temple - which had once been the Jedi Temple. "I do not know what the prophecy was originally intended to mean," he said. "But I believe I have finally found the correct way to use the Force: use both sides equally, making use of their respective qualities. The Dark Side holds tremendous advantage in battle, as it greatly strengthens a wielder, but the Light Side has its own advantages, such as healing."

"Take the lightsaber as an example," he said, pulling his regular weapon from its place on his belt. "Suppose I was to use this to kill a Senator who opposed one of my decisions as Emperor. Would that be good or evil?"

"Evil," Mara replied. "You cannot kill someone for no other reason than because they disagree with you."

Vader nodded. "But suppose I was to then use this same weapon to block a stray blaster shot that had been about to hit an innocent bystander. Is that good or evil?"

"Good," Mara said. "The bystander was not involved, and you should not let him be killed for no reason."

Lord Vader tossed his lightsaber from one hand to the other. "The exact same weapon was used in both scenarios," he said. "Is the weapon itself good, or evil?"

"Neither," said Mara. "It all matters on how you, its owner, use it."

"Exactly." He looked down at her as if sharing some exciting secret, almost smiling. "The Force itself is neither good nor evil, Mara," he said. "It simply is. Good or evil comes from the way it is wielded."

Mara nodded uncertainly. She wasn't sure if she really believed this or not, since she only seemed able to access the Dark Side when using the Force for some selfish or violent purpose. Lord Vader's lesson seemed to be contradictory to how she herself perceived the Force. She dismissed her concerns; Lord Vader knew what he was doing, after all, so she probably just didn't understand enough about the Force yet.

Lord Vader dismissed her to go and meditate on what he had said then, but try as she might, the young Mara was unable to reconcile the Sith Master's lesson with what she felt.

* * *

Her questions were eventually pushed aside in the face of much more intensive training; Lord Vader needed a capable agent, and he needed one soon. He advanced Mara's training, focusing more on combat and stealth lessons, as well as infiltration techniques to more easily blend in with whatever situation she found herself. Naturally proficient in such things, Mara quickly became an exceptional agent, and before long was named as the Emperor's Hand, Darth Vader's personal agent to whom he trusted the most clandestine and sensitive missions. Her very existence became a secret, and none knew her true identity but the Emperor, his Sith Apprentice, and Grand Admiral Thrawn, Vader's most trusted officer.

The Force became just another tool in her arsenal, and for years Mara gave no further thought to the relationship between Dark Side and Light Side. When a situation arose where she needed to use the Force, she simply used it however was necessary to complete her mission.

She continued in this pattern for years, until the fateful mission to Alderaan, where she was assigned to confirm the existence of the suspected Rebel cell there, and, if present, proceed to infiltrate it.

Mara used her real name as her alias in this mission, since it was untraceable to the Empire; she did not officially exist in any registration documents, anyway, and even if she was referenced in any communiqués between Vader and Thrawn, both simply referred to her as 'the agent', and were never more specific.

She chose her own mission parameters, and when selecting a name for her Rebel alias, something prodded her to use her own. She thought it might have been the Force, but gave no more thought to it as she set up the rest of the mission.

Mara traveled to Alderaan as a student transferring to the university, and quickly established herself as a vocal detractor of the Empire, joining in with the protest groups university students were wont to form. Before long, she was quietly approached by a recruiter for the Rebellion.

The recruiter, a woman named Winter, asked her if she wanted to do more to oppose 'the tyranny of the Empire', and in her guise as an impassioned student, Mara readily agreed. Her constructed background held up against the thorough check by the Rebels, since it even went so far as to provide a number of references and 'family members' - all Imperial agents - to confirm her documentation and story.

Mara was made an official member of the cell of the Alliance to Restore the Republic on Alderaan, but to her frustration, she was able to do little more than confirm the cell's existence to her master, as the Organa family never gave any indication that they were in any way affiliated.

Winter was a servant in the Organa household, Mara knew, and likely operated directly under Bail Organa himself, but again, there was never enough evidence to conclusively prove his ties to the Rebellion.

Publicly, the Organa family remained vocal, but still law-abiding, detractors of the Empire and Lord Vader. Mara spent more than a year trying to prove that they were high-ranking members of the Rebellion, but was never successful. She never actually met any of them, and so instead set about gathering all the information she was able on the Rebellion in general. Due to the way the Alliance was structured, each cell knowing next to nothing about the rest of the organization, this was extremely difficult.

Lord Vader commanded her to remain in deep cover on Alderaan and participate in whatever missions she was assigned, telling her to be patient.

Eventually, Obi-Wan Kenobi and Luke Skywalker came to Alderaan to free Leia Organa and the rest of her family, and Mara's mission became both more interesting and more complicated.

She had been told much about Kenobi by Lord Vader, who hated his former teacher more than any other individual she knew of, blaming Kenobi for the losses he had suffered during the fall of the old Republic. Mara had been surprised to find Kenobi almost nothing like Vader's descriptions; he appeared to be fairly pleasant, patient with his apprentice Luke, and, while still devoted to the old Jedi Order, seemed to be a good man.

Mara was privately puzzled at this, since this was the first sustained contact she had ever had with a Jedi. She'd helped Galen Marek, later Darth Nova, assassinate one once, but that had been long-distance support; she'd wounded the Jedi with a sniper rifle, distracting him long enough for Galen to finish him off.

There had been several opportunities during the escape from the palace to allow the Imperial troops to capture the Rebels, but Mara's instincts told her that Kenobi and his apprentice would take the Organas to the secret Rebel base; planting a tracking device on their ship to let Lord Vader follow them would prove much faster and more effective than torturing the information out of them.

Mara's disguised beacon allowed the _Executor_ to track the _Millennium Falcon_ to Yavin, though the Rebels were somehow able to defeat the mighty flagship with only fighters.

Over the next year, Mara remained in place as a deep-cover agent within the Rebellion, and though she dutifully filed reports as often as the situation allowed over the first few months of that period, gradually, despite herself, she began to care about the people she lived with.

The Rebels genuinely believed Darth Vader's rule was having an adverse effect on the galaxy; he was a tyrant, they believed, only interested in shaping civilization to his whims. It was strange to hear her teacher, the closest thing she had to a father, talked about with such hatred, and while she objected at first, gradually, their points began to make sense to her.

For one, the Rebels insisted, the Emperor's ability to ignite a sun into supernova through the Force made him even more dangerous; what was to stop him from simply obliterating the home systems of his more vocal detractors? He and his apprentice were virtually living weapons, and the Rebels argued that both needed to be eliminated before they both allowed their power to shape them into even worse tyrants, controlling all life in the galaxy through fear of obliteration.

Mara had talked with her master about this shortly after the end of the Ssi-Ruuk war, and _he_ said he would never use his power to destroy a sun unless presented with no other option; he understood very well what this ability meant, and while he was content to let the rest of the Empire think he was willing to use it again, he had privately resolved not to.

Darth Nova, on the other hand, seemed almost eager to use his power again. Galen had truly changed after the final campaign of the war; the man whom people called Darth Nova was not the Galen Marek she had grown up with, and part of her was glad she had no further contact with him during the months after the Battle of Yavin, as he had become very disturbing to talk to after his ascension to Sith Lord.

Further clouding her thoughts was Luke Skywalker; sometimes he would say things that reminded her so much of Lord Vader that Mara had to force her face to remain expressionless so as not to give something away. But he was different; he had almost no trace of the ever-simmering rage within his father. She wondered if he was close to what his father had been like as a Jedi; the Rebels who had lived through the Clone Wars certainly thought so.

She had once heard a conversation between Bail Organa and Jan Dodonna that had changed the way she thought about both Skywalkers.

* * *

The two Rebel leaders were in the officer's lounge of _Home One,_ talking to one another at one of the tables as they ate their afternoon meal. Mara was sitting in one of the couches, working on a report on her datapad, when something Organa said caught her attention.

"Sometimes talking to that boy is just like talking to his father twenty years ago," Bail said.

Dodonna nodded as Mara glanced up. "You're right, Bail," the general replied. "I know it's certainly a boost for morale that he's decided to fight with us. The troops are happy to have a Jedi in the ranks, especially a Skywalker."

"That's a difficult example to live up to," Bail said. "Anakin was a hero in the Clone Wars, so much that the Separatists might have won if not for him. Who else could have killed Dooku?"

"But that's what worries me," said Dodonna. The general rubbed his chin thoughtfully as he glanced over at the other Rebel leader. "Anakin fell to the Dark Side, and look what's happened as a result. I know this is a terrible thing to say, but what if Luke starts to follow in his father's footsteps?"

Bail shook his head. "He won't. Obi-Wan told him as much as he knew about Anakin's fall, and I'm sure Luke won't make the same mistakes." Organa gestured to the viewport as he spoke, as if indicating the past. "From talking to Master Kenobi, I believe Anakin would not have done what he did if not for Palpatine; the Chancellor was darker than any of us realized, until it was too late."

Bail paused for a moment and looked down at his plate in thought before he continued. "It's probably not my place to say this, but from talking to both of them, I think Luke is becoming what Anakin was supposed to be, what he would have been, if not for the Chancellor."

Dodonna nodded in agreement. "I think you're right, Bail. Jedi were always very mysterious about the Force and whatever prophecy Anakin was supposed to fulfill, and I never understood much of that, but I do know Luke is a major asset to the cause. All of us will have to be very careful to not let him make the same mistakes as his father."

Bail frowned pensively. "I fear to think of what might happen if he does."

The two of them had continued talking after that, but around that time Solo had come in and started talking to her, distracting Mara from what else the Rebel leaders had said. She caught more about Jedi, and something about a 'Master Yoda', but she hadn't been able to listen closely enough.

It was strange hearing people talk about Lord Vader that way, odd to hear the other side of the issue, and before she caught herself, Mara had begun to wonder if Lord Vader was right after all.

* * *

As she packed her bag for the scouting mission with Skywalker, Mara paused as she retrieved some of the items none of the other Rebels knew she had. Her fingers paused on an injector which could be used to deliver either sedatives or poison, depending on the mission, and a small frown crossed her face as she looked at it.

Luke trusted her; he obviously cared very much about her, and would never suspect her of doing anything that might hurt him. It would be so easy to take advantage of that trust, to knock him out with the injector and take him to his father, but some part of her objected to this.

Despite herself, she had come to care about him, too. Mara knew that she should see him as an enemy, but try as she might, she could find nothing to hate about Luke, not even the fact that he despised his own father. Knowing all that Vader had done, especially to Luke's mother, the young Jedi's anger toward his father was understandable.

A knock at the door interrupted her thoughts, and Mara hid the injector under the bag before getting up to answer.

It was Luke, but he wasn't alone; Han Solo was with him, and the Corellian smuggler grinned as Mara opened the door.

"Heya, Red," he said as he leaned against the doorframe. "You going with me and the kid?"

"When did you get back?" Mara asked.

"About an hour ago," Han said. "Jabba's pretty mad and the Empire's even madder, so I figured I'd better lay low for a while, stay under the radar with you guys."

"Han's going to take us in the _Falcon_," Luke said. "I decided to change the plan."

"Fine with me," Mara said, gesturing at her bag. "I'm ready to go whenever you are."

"We're just going to fuel up the _Falcon_ and give her a quick tune-up," Han said. "We'll probably leave in a couple hours."

"See you then," she said, making sure to smile.

Luke and Han nodded and left, headed off down the softly lit hallway.

Oddly, it _was_ fine with her, Mara thought as she stepped back into the main room of her quarters and sat down on the bed.

Mara rationalized to herself that taking Skywalker on the _Millennium Falcon_ would be next to impossible; she would almost certainly be able to sneak up on Luke and sedate him, but then she would still have Solo and the Wookiee to deal with. Adding to that was the fact that the Corellian and his partner had modified their freighter so far from factory specifications that Mara doubted anyone but the two of them could figure out all its systems. A pair of smugglers would have so many fail-safes and other tricks that they could have the entire ship sealed off and unusable by anyone but the two of them in an instant.

She would then have to force them to unlock the systems, but a pair as wily as Han and Chewbacca would find some way to trick her or overpower her; even with all her training, Mara knew Solo and the Wookiee were clever enough to come up with something, given enough time.

Yes, the sympathetic part of her assured the agent, now was not the right time. More opportunities would come in the future.

Whether or not she would take them was a matter for further debate.

* * *

-/\\-


	14. II,1: The Empire Strikes Back

-/\\-

* * *

**One Missed Strike  
Part II**

Prologue

_It is a dark time for the Rebellion. After the humbling defeat of their mighty flagship at the Battle of Yavin, Darth Vader and his forces have mercilessly pursued the Alliance across the galaxy, ransacking and destroying Rebel bases wherever they find them.  
_

_After three long years of battle and flight, a group of freedom fighters led by Luke Skywalker has established a new secret base on the remote ice world of Hoth. Here, far outside the borders of civilization, they hope to gain time enough to rest and rebuild._

_Emperor Skywalker, obsessed with finding his son, has dispatched thousands of remote probes into the far reaches of space..._

* * *

**One**  
(The Empire Strikes Back)

Deep within the inky blackness of space, in the cold expanse between the flaming stars, a massive, gleaming white shape slowly came to a halt. The gigantic arrowhead-shaped vessel opened the cavernous bay doors on its underside, and with multiple flashes, like an extremely organized meteor shower, discharged a swarm of probe droids which scattered in all directions.

The Imperial Star Destroyer paused only long enough to ensure that the probes were well on their way before speeding up and vanishing into hyperspace, leaving the droids alone in the utter darkness.

One of the droids, programmed to search a nearby system, sped up, hurtling through the void for hours on end until it finally entered the remote system of Hoth.

No one came to Hoth. Not only were all eight planets orbiting the elderly yellow sun nearly uninhabitable, it just wasn't near anything important, and so it remained a quiet, unobtrusive corner of the galaxy, visited only by those with something to hide or someone to hide from.

If droids could be bored, the unit dispatched to Hoth would have been. It streaked through the atmosphere of the sixth planet of the Hoth system without any attempt at stealth, almost certain there was nothing there.

However, droids had to follow their programming, so the probe droid extricated itself from its landing pod and set off across the icy wasteland of the planet, chasing Rebels that probably weren't there.

* * *

Luke Skywalker followed a flaming streak across the sky with his macrobinoculars, watching as it smashed into one of the endless snowbanks of frigid Hoth.

Atop his tauntaun, the only other living thing besides Luke himself for kilometers as far as he could see, the young Jedi considered whether or not to investigate the meteor.

"Nothing better to do," Luke said to his tauntaun, who merely growled and whined in response.

The Alliance had been fighting a rear-guard action for most of the last three years, unable to bring freedom to anyone under the heel of the Empire because they'd been fighting simply to survive. Now they hid here on Hoth, trying to stay under the Empire's radar until Vader's legendary temper cooled. So far, it seemed to Luke that Hoth had a greater chance of melting than Darth Vader had of giving up in his pursuit, but he hadn't said this to anyone else. Morale was low enough as it was.

Luke pulled the scarf from his face and raised his goggles out of the way, brushing the frost off the comlink built into his gauntlet.

"Echo Three to Echo Seven," he said. "Han, old buddy, do you read me?"

He received only static for a moment before a familiar voice cut through the interference. "_Watch who you're calling 'old', kid,_" the Corellian smuggler responded, a hint of amusement in his tone. "_What's up?"_

Luke grinned at his friend's characteristic irreverence. "I've finished my circle and I haven't picked up any life readings," he said.

"_There isn't enough life on this ice cube to fill a space cruiser,_" Han replied amusedly. "_My markers are placed; I'm heading back to base._"

"Right, I'll see you shortly," Luke said, looking over at the plume of smoke about half a klick away. "I'm going to go check out a meteorite that hit the ground near here. I won't be long."

He turned off his comlink and put his heels to the tauntaun's flanks. "C'mon, girl, let's go," he said to the snow-lizard. The beast shook its head anxiously, pawing the ground, and he leaned over to pat her neck. "What's the matter, girl? You smell something?"

The tauntaun had indeed smelled something: its natural predator on the frozen plains. The Force prickled Luke's senses a moment before a massive furry white paw slapped him out of the tauntaun's saddle, sending him tumbling to the snow.

"Whoa!" Luke shouted as he got a good look at what had attacked him.

The creature was a wampa, an enormous muscular biped covered in thick white fur and armed with razor-sharp claws. Its wide, slavering jaws opened in a growl, and it bellowed fiercely at him, smashing Luke's tauntaun aside with a fatal blow.

Luke scrambled backwards, tugging his lightsaber from his belt as the creature advanced. He ignited the shining sapphire blade and brandished it at the creature, but the wampa was unimpressed, and the enormous furry creature charged.

The young Jedi hurled himself out of the way in a Force-enhanced leap, slashing at the wampa as it went past. One of its long, muscular arms dropped to the snow with a meaty _thump_, and it bellowed in pain and fury, rounding on him with a snarl.

Luke dropped into a defensive crouch, holding his lightsaber in front of him, and the wampa paused, glaring at him suspiciously. It knew he'd cut off its arm somehow, and appeared to be debating whether to risk losing the other one to have its revenge.

Luke sent out a subtle suggestion through the Force, telling the wampa that he was dangerous and that it should flee, and to his relieved surprise, it did just that, bounding away with long, heavy strides through the snow.

As he deactivated his lightsaber and returned it to his belt, Luke slowly stopped and frowned, looking over at his dead tauntaun and the endless, empty wastes beyond. He prodded at his comlink, but soon realized it was broken, smashed by the wampa. "Great," he said to himself. "Now how am I supposed to get back to the base?"

There was no answer, only the howling of the wind over the ice and snow.

* * *

Han Solo slowly pulled his tauntaun to a halt, welcoming the relative warmth of the caves the Rebels' base occupied. He dismounted and tossed the reins of the snow-lizard to a nearby Rebel, then pulled down the hood of his heavy coat, pocketing his goggles next.

He looked at the busy people around him, working hard to turn this frozen hole in the ground into a workable base, and he frowned to himself as he moved past the ships and speeders being worked on by an army of mechanics, sparks and curses flying with equal speed and frenzy as they struggled to adapt their machines to the cold.

Despite the fact that he'd been running and hiding with the Rebellion off and on for the last three years, Han still didn't really feel like he was one of them. They didn't share this opinion, though, and General Rieekan, the commander of the base, had more than once offered Han an officer's commission, which he'd so far turned down.

He thought it was time for him to do some good honest smuggling work in an effort to get Jabba the Hutt off his back. All these Rebels were too honest for his tastes. He hadn't made any real money since Yavin, which didn't help with the rather large sum he owed to Jabba for a shipment of spice he'd had to dump when he had been stopped by an Imperial patrol. Since it had been three years without payment - which was not Han's fault, but instead the result of a streak of spectacular bad luck - the Hutt crime lord was quite angry with him, as evidenced by the increased bounty he'd placed on Han not long ago.

Hopefully after a few good runs he could calm Jabba down and get the price off of his head, but what he'd do after that, he didn't know.

Han looked up as he passed his ship, the _Millennium Falcon_, and shouted up to the huge furry Wookiee who was perched atop the hull, repairing one of the many temperamental systems on the battered freighter.

Chewbacca bellowed down in response, raising his welder as he grumbled at Han about being left behind to do all the work.

"All right, don't lose your temper," Han called back. "I'll come right back and give you a hand."

Chewbacca growled to himself and went back to work, putting his protective goggles back into place.

After shedding his heavy coat, Han found his way into the command center, adjusting his dark jacket as he looked around. His attention was drawn first to Princess Leia Organa, as it was usually, and he looked at her for a second through the crowd of people packed into the command center, monitoring the frozen wasteland that was their new home for now.

The princess was slender and petite, but fiery, and he found that that was what he liked most about her. It was quite entertaining to have somebody around who could hold her own in an argument with him, and plus, it helped that she was easy on the eyes. With her long, rich brown hair bound up around her head in a simple but elegant braid, Leia somehow managed to seem dignified and beautiful even in her white combat uniform.

She glanced over in Han's direction, and he moved on before she could notice him staring at her. What was he, Luke? He hoped his interest wasn't as embarrassing as the young Jedi's obvious infatuation with Mara Jade, amusing as it may be to the rest of the base. The kid was deluding himself if he thought he was hiding it.

As he approached the commander of the base, a man in his early fifties with graying brown hair named Rieekan, Han stopped, leaning against the console the general was intently studying.

"Find anything, Solo?" the general asked, looking up from the blinking, flashing console.

"No sign of life out there, General," Han replied. "But the markers are set, so you'll know if anything comes around."

"Has Commander Skywalker reported in yet?" Rieekan asked.

"He's checking out a meteorite that hit near him," Han said. "He'll be in soon."

Rieekan frowned, looking at a radar screen on the console in front of him. "With all the meteor activity in this system, it's going to be difficult to spot approaching ships."

"General, I gotta leave," Han said before Rieekan could say any more. "I gotta move on."

His gaze was drawn to Leia again, and she glanced at him apparently without feeling, turning back to her console with cold aloofness.

"I'm sorry to hear that, Solo," Rieekan said.

"Well, I've got a price on my head, and if I don't pay off Jabba the Hutt, I'm a dead man."

Rieekan nodded understandingly. "A death mark's not an easy thing to live with. You're a good fighter, Solo. I hate to lose you."

Han nodded, and Rieekan went back to his readouts, issuing orders to the personnel nearby. Han went over to where Leia stood, and he smiled at her. "Well, Your Highness, I guess this is it," he said, hoping for at least a smile in return.

"That's right," she replied coolly, glancing at him for only a moment before returning her attention to her console.

Han frowned. He'd expected a little friendlier of a farewell than _that_. If that's how it was…

"Well, don't get all mushy on me," he said irritably. "So long, Princess."

He stormed out of the command center, thinking all sorts of unfriendly things, but a little ways into the tunnel between the command center and the hangar, he heard running footsteps behind him and stopped as he heard Leia call his name.

"Yes, Your Highnessness?" he said, spinning to face her.

"I thought you had decided to stay," she said. Was that concern in her voice? Han wasn't sure.

"Well, the bounty hunter we ran into on Ord Mantell changed my mind," he replied. "I have to get the price off my head while I still _have_ a head."

"But we still need you," Leia said, looking up at him.

"We need?" Han said, looking down at her. "What about _you_ need?"

Leia looked at him quizzically. "I don't know what you're talking about."

Han frowned again. "No, you probably don't," he said, now more irritated with himself than he was with her. He started off down the icy white corridor again, but the footsteps followed him.

"And what, precisely, am I supposed to know?" Leia asked, almost having to jog to keep up with him.

"Come on," Han said, still walking. "You want me to stay because of the way you feel about me."

"Well, of course," Leia replied, still not understanding what he meant. "You've been a great help to us. You're a natural leader-"

Han stopped suddenly and whirled to face the princess, raising a finger to point at her. "No," he said. "That's not it."

Leia's expression turned thoughtful, then derisive as she finally comprehended his meaning. "You're imagining things."

"Am I?" Han countered, leaning closer. "Then why are you following me?" A Rebel soldier pushed between them, and he moved back, but leaned forward again as soon as the man moved on. "What, were you afraid I was gonna leave without giving you a good-bye kiss?"

"I'd just as soon kiss a Wookiee!" she shot back, by all appearances insulted by the very suggestion.

Han raised a finger to point at her again, angry now. "I can arrange that," he said, walking off again. "You could use a good kiss!" he shouted back at her over his shoulder.

Leia stopped and watched him go, glaring at a Rebel who had the audacity to grin to himself as he passed.

_Ridiculous,_ she thought to herself. But, as she stormed off in the opposite direction from the smuggler, she had to admit that some of what Han had said was right.

Anyone who dared suggest it to her face, though, would quickly regret it.

* * *

The Imperial probe droid continued on with its survey of the frozen planet of Hoth, measuring heat levels and searching for signs of civilization. It wasn't supposed to have the programming to feel boredom, but the tiny glimmer of intelligence within its evil-looking metal shell felt the electronic equivalent nevertheless, scanning what appeared to be yet another lifeless, uninhabitable lump of rock.

Upon discovering a hint of metal, the droid shot off in that direction, sensors attuned to something obviously artificial.

Perhaps Hoth was not so lifeless as the surveys had indicated.

* * *

Luke staggered through another snow drift, his heavy scarf wrapped around his face in a vain attempt to keep out the bitter cold. Hoth was nearing the end of its day and the temperatures were plummeting, sapping the heat from his body as easily as if he had been stumbling naked through the snow instead of wrapped in layer after layer of protective clothing.

The young Jedi was beginning to think that he would finally have to admit that he was lost. Hoth stretched out in icy plains around him, featureless snow extending in all directions. It was just as desolate and barren as Tatooine had been, but unbelievably cold. Luke hadn't ever been this cold in his entire life, and the chill was painful, making his bones ache. As he struggled to remember what Ben had taught him about using the Force to keep warm, he felt like his brain was frozen as well, his thoughts sluggish and dull.

He dragged himself another few steps, but stumbled on a chunk of ice and tumbled down the snowbank, groaning as he finally came to a stop. Shivering, Luke debated even getting back up.

* * *

C-3PO walked alongside his short, barrel-shaped companion R2-D2 through the ice tunnels of the Rebel base, and fussed at the shorter droid. "I merely commented that it was freezing in the Princess' chamber," he said. "I didn't ask you to turn on the thermal heater."

Artoo bleeped back a phrase, twittering up at his golden-colored human-shaped counterpart.

"It's _supposed_ to be freezing," Threepio said irritably. "Oh, how are we ever going to dry out all her clothes?"

Artoo burbled in a way that made Threepio suspect his squat companion had deliberately misread his statement so he could make a fool out of the protocol droid. But no, he decided. Artoo simply didn't have that kind of programming.

Finally, the two droids drew close to the battered freighter _Millennium Falcon_, and after a brief search, located its captain.

"Master Solo, sir," Threepio said, "might I have a word with you?"

Han noted the arrival of the two droids with some annoyance, and he expressed this through a curt, "What do you want?"

"Mistress Leia has been trying to reach you on the communicator," Threepio began, but Han cut him off.

"I turned it off," he said with clear irritation. "I don't want to talk to her." He turned back to whatever he had been working on, then glanced back at Threepio. "Why, what does she want?"

"She wanted to know if you've seen Master Luke-" Threepio began again, but again Han interrupted him.

"Luke hasn't come in yet?" he asked with concern, looking out at the darkening sky beyond the hangar doors.

"Mistress Leia thought he was with you," Threepio said. "She doesn't know where he is."

"I don't know where he is," Han said, concern beginning to draw across his features.

"Nobody knows where he is," Threepio replied.

"What do you mean, _nobody_ knows?" Han demanded, glaring at the droid. He moved past Threepio to catch the attention of a nearby Rebel. "Deck Officer!" he said loudly, looking around for the man in question.

The deck officer walked over shortly, and Han hurried to meet him. "Has Commander Skywalker reported in yet?"

"I haven't seen him," the sergeant replied. "It's possible he came in through the south entrance."

"It's _possible_?" Han said, glaring at the man. "Why don't you go find out? It's getting dark out there."

The sergeant hurried off to check, and Artoo whistled nervously. "I don't know," Threepio replied. He turned to Han. "Might I inquire what's going on?" he asked.

"Why not?" Captain Solo said flippantly, watching for the sergeant's return.

Threepio imitated a human sound of annoyance. "Impossible man!" he grumbled to himself. He followed as Han walked off at a brisk pace, picking up his heavy coat from where it lay on a pile of machinery and putting it on as he approached the tauntaun pens.

"Commander Skywalker hasn't come in through the south entrance," the deck officer said as Han approached. "He might have forgotten to check in."

"Not likely," Han said, fastening his coat. "Are the speeders ready?"

"We're having some trouble adapting them to the cold," the sergeant replied. "Perhaps by morning-"

Han cut him off. There wasn't any time to waste on unreliable machines. "Then we'll have to go out on tauntauns," he said determinedly, approaching one of the snow-lizards.

"The temperature is dropping too rapidly!" another Rebel soldier said, following Han as he mounted the tauntaun.

"That's right," Han said, his tone making it clear he would suffer no objection. "And my friend's out in it!"

"Your tauntaun will freeze before you reach the first marker," the deck officer warned.

Han glared down at the man from atop his mount. "Then I'll see you in hell!" he growled. He kicked his tauntaun's sides and urged the animal outside into the freezing night in search of his friend.

* * *

Luke lay on his back in a pile of snow, staring up at the rapidly darkening sky. He was freezing, he knew, but he just didn't have the energy to get up and move. He tried to summon the Force, but his frozen brain couldn't quite figure out how, and he felt the world start to slowly slide away.

"Luke!" a commanding voice said above him suddenly. "Luke!"

Luke groaned. Was he hearing things now? He summoned the strength to roll over, and he looked for the source of the voice, but saw nothing. The ice beneath him seemed to almost hungrily sap his strength now, as if it were a parasitic organism, and his head drooped to the snow. It was cold against his cheek, but he no longer cared.

"Get up, Luke!" the voice said sharply, and the young Jedi raised his head again, straining to see through the swirling snow.

The familiar shape of Obi-Wan Kenobi slowly faded into view, dressed as he had been in life in the rough brown robes he'd worn on Tatooine, looking down at Luke with caring eyes.

"Ben?" he said disbelievingly, wondering how in the world his old master could be here.

"You will go to the Dagobah system," Obi-Wan said, not shouting but somehow making himself clear over the wind. "There you will learn from Yoda, the Jedi Master who instructed me."

Luke reached out a hand for the man who'd been a father to him for most of his life, but Obi-Wan disappeared, leaving him alone in the frozen wastes. Cold and alone, he finally succumbed to unconsciousness.

* * *

The Imperial probe droid approached the metal it had detected earlier, sensors and cameras fully primed. As it hovered around a formation of ice, an obviously artificial object came into view, looking like a series of disks stuck into the ground and connected by a length of pipe.

The droid began taking pictures, noting the shield generator as well as the hangar entrance and a few other outposts. When it noticed a human moving around next to the generator, it drew back behind the ice formation it had passed a minute earlier and watched as the human, a bit of long red-gold hair hanging out of its hood and heavy scarf, knelt by the generator and affixed something to one of the large disks.

Then, turning as if it knew the droid was there, the human looked directly at the droid and held up a hand. The droid tried to move away, but an unseen force held it in place. Alarmed, the droid nearly triggered its self-destruct program, but the human pointed a small device at it and beamed an Imperial recognition code into its processor.

The probe droid deactivated its alarm and waited obediently as the human approached, features unrecognizable beneath its heavy clothing and face mask. Pulling off one of its gloves, the human reached into a pocket of its heavy coat and withdrew a data chip. The droid swiveled to present the corresponding port to the human, who pulled up its goggles to reveal vibrant green eyes, penetrating and focused.

The human leaned forward, and the droid scanned its retinas before opening its data port. Operative 3152 inserted the data chip into the port and straightened. The probe droid was not designed to register human emotion, and so did not note the hint of regret in the woman's eyes as she watched the data port close over the chip containing her detailed report on Echo Base.

As she pulled her goggles back into place and tugged her glove back on, Mara Jade turned and walked away from the droid, who watched her go for a few moments before moving off to find a good place to transmit its data.

* * *

Han almost didn't see the slumped shape in the snow, and in fact his tauntaun nearly stepped on it before he realized the lump was not a rock poking through the ice. Once he recognized the shape as human, Han pulled his tauntaun to a halt and hurriedly dismounted.

"Luke!" he shouted as he rolled the body over. "Come on, Luke, give me a sign here."

The young Jedi did not respond, and Han feared with momentary horror that he was too late, that Luke had already frozen to death, and he shook his friend by his coat.

"Don't do this, Luke," he said desperately, reaching up to gently slap the young Jedi's face. "Come on, buddy!"

After what seemed like an eternity, Luke groaned, moving his head slightly, and Han grinned beneath his heavy scarf. He made to pick the young warrior up, but as he did, his tauntaun bellowed tiredly and collapsed, its last breath leaving it in a great gust that formed a momentary cloud around its head.

Han frowned, knowing this was his fault. Usually these creatures had enough sense to get inside and insulated by this time of day, but he'd forced it out here in search of his friend. He looked back down at Luke and grabbed the young Jedi under the arms, dragging him over next to the tauntaun. His friend's life outweighed that of a beast any way you looked at it, Han thought, his mind racing.

It would take him a while to get the shelter up, and Luke looked half-dead as it was. An idea came to him suddenly, and while it was distasteful, it had a good chance of working, Han pulled Luke over next to the body of the tauntaun, which was as dead as the ice around it now, and pulled the lightsaber from the Jedi's belt.

"This may smell bad, kid," he said, "but it'll keep you warm 'til I get the shelter up."

Fumbling with the unfamiliar device, Han thought to himself that it might be a sort of sacrilege to use a Jedi Knight's weapon like this, but he didn't have anything that even came close to a lightsaber for cutting through the snow-lizard's thick skin. Igniting the bright blue blade, he swept it quickly through the creature's belly, slitting it open.

Han nearly gagged on the resultant stench, and as he deactivated the lightsaber, he pulled his scarf a little more tightly over his nose. He clipped the lightsaber to his belt and reached inside the dead tauntaun, pulling out its entrails and tossing them aside. He pushed Luke into the cavity, pulling the skin of the beast closed over him.

Eyes watering, Han rested on the snow-lizard's side for a moment. "Ugh," he panted. "And I thought they smelled bad… on the outside."

His friend relatively safe for now, Han moved off to the dead tauntaun's back, where his emergency shelter was stored, and set about freeing it from the storage container.

* * *

Admiral Firmus Piett, commander of the Super Star Destroyer _Executor,_ looked at the data transmission beamed back to the flagship from a probe droid in the Hoth system, a system Piett had never heard of before today. It was on the list of uninhabited systems, but as he reviewed the images sent back from the droid, he suspected that this classification was inaccurate.

Perfectly regular footsteps quietly announced the arrival of Grand Admiral Thrawn, the commander of the Emperor's personal battle group. As one of the Empire's finest commanders and tactical thinkers, perhaps the best in the fleet, it was no surprise to anyone that Thrawn had been transferred to the _Executor_ not long after Lord Vader's termination of his previous fleet admiral. The Emperor demanded the best in the Empire for his personal force, especially for anyone posted on his flagship.

"Those are the latest probe reports?" Thrawn inquired, standing out from the gray and black-uniformed officers not only because of his spotless white uniform, but due to his blue skin and subtly glowing red eyes, marking him as a member of an alien species Piett did not know.

"Yes, sir," Piett replied, moving aside so that Thrawn could see the monitor.

The Grand Admiral studied the displayed image intently, advancing through several more in the series before he stopped at an image of a shield generator standing out in stark difference from the endless snow.

"The Hoth system was registered as uninhabited," Thrawn said, looking over at Piett. "Pirates or smugglers?"

"Or Rebels," Piett said, pointing to the shield generator. "We know the Alliance stole a generator of that model a few months ago."

"Perhaps so," Thrawn said thoughtfully, scanning through a few more of the images.

"You've found something?" an intensely familiar voice asked from behind the two men.

Piett turned to find the Emperor himself standing behind them. Sith Master Darth Vader was tall and broad-shouldered, with severely cut dark blond hair that was beginning to show signs of gray. He was dressed as usual in a black Imperial officer's uniform, with a long, wide cloak of the same color hanging from his shoulders, and a black lightsaber clipped to his belt.

He looked back at Piett with a glowing blue photoreceptor in eerie counterpart to his natural ice-blue eye. The patch-like lens that covered the mechanical eye and acted as a filter was bolted directly to Lord Vader's skull, and combined with his other scars, gave him a fierce, grim appearance. Ever since his eye had been replaced with the blue photoreceptor, Piett had found it uncomfortable to meet his Emperor's gaze for very long.

"Yes, my lord. We believe we have found an outpost in the Hoth system," Piett replied.

Vader studied the images the probe droid had sent back for a moment, his mechanical eye moving in perfect synchronization with his natural one, and he stopped on the image of the shield generator, as Thrawn had.

"That's it," he said finally. "The Rebels are there. Set course immediately." He turned to another officer standing a few paces away, dressed in a green-gray uniform with matching cap. "General Veers," he said to the officer. "Prepare your men."

General Veers nodded crisply and moved off. Vader remained a moment longer, looking over the probe data and the officers next to it with his eerie mismatched gaze, then turned on his heel and marched off the bridge, his cloak flowing out behind him.

"Recall the patrol ships," Thrawn ordered, moving off to the comm station to address the officer seated there. "Ready the fleet for hyperspace."

Piett went about getting the flagship itself ready. The _Executor_ was so huge it was practically a fleet's worth of responsibility by itself, a city-sized warship filled with hundreds of thousands of fighting men and women. It was little wonder some described the _Executor_ as the Empire's mobile capital, since Lord Vader spent more time here than he did on Coruscant.

Piett himself thought ships this huge were unwieldy, but their effectiveness could not be denied. The debacle at Yavin aside, the _Executor_ and the others of her class were capable of engaging entire fleets single-handedly, dwarfing any other capital ship out there by several orders of magnitude. Often, just the sight of a Super Star Destroyer was enough to terrify most rebellious systems into surrendering. Accompanied by the other dozen Star Destroyers of Lord Vader's personal fleet, the Emperor's flagship was virtually unstoppable.

It was rather too much firepower to deal with one small Rebel base, but Yavin had proved that overwhelming force was the only way to counter the Rebels' almost unnatural good luck.

The Star Destroyers arranged themselves into formation, a mighty hammer to crush the Rebellion once and for all.

* * *

Darth Vader entered his quarters on board the _Executor_, the only permanent home he maintained, and crossed immediately to his personal computer terminal. He accessed the coded data hidden in the probe droid's transmission, accessible only to him. Only he knew the data was there, having observed the momentary subliminal flash in the image of the shield generator with his mechanical eye.

Despite the pain of the wound that had cost him his natural right eye, Vader had made good use of its replacement, as he had with his earlier prosthetic, his right arm from the elbow down. He had installed a multitude of scanning devices in the mechanical eye, and had adjusted his personal set of codes and that of his network of personal spies accordingly, to make them even more impenetrable.

His computer terminal scanned both his natural eye and the systems of his mechanical one, then beeped three times and displayed the information his operative had hidden in the probe droid's transmission.

To protect her cover, only Grand Admiral Thrawn and Vader himself knew Mara Jade was an undercover operative within the Rebel ranks. She had full authorization to participate in missions for the Rebellion, killing Imperial troops if necessary to maintain her cover and convince the Rebels she was one of them.

Jade had not reported for nearly a year, but this was understandable, since the Rebellion was rarely any place where she could transmit a report without any chance of being caught. The report, a text-only document, apologized for not reporting sooner, then went on to describe the armaments and defenses of Echo Base in detail, even going so far as to recommend a preliminary strategy.

She also included the schematics for the shield generator and the friend-or-foe recognition codes for the orbiting monitor satellites. These Vader downloaded into a data chip, then scanned the rest of the report into his mechanical eye's storage systems for later review. Once this was complete, he summoned Thrawn to his quarters.

The Grand Admiral responded with typical efficiency, appearing at the door only a few minutes later. Vader opened the door and the blue-skinned alien stepped inside his quarters, inclining his head respectfully in lieu of a salute.

Vader held up the data chip silently. Thrawn took it with equal silence, then nodded once and left without saying a word.

The Sith Master walked over to the wide viewport next to his lightsaber collection, staring out into the swirling blue tunnel of hyperspace as his fleet flew on for the Rebel base, his thoughts on his son. Today would be the day, he knew, that he finally brought Luke to his side, where he belonged.

* * *

-/\\-


	15. II,2: The Battle of Hoth

-/\\-

* * *

**Two**  
(The Battle of Hoth)

Princess Leia stood in front of an upright cylindrical tank in the medical center of Echo Base, looking with concern at the young man who floated in the bacta inside. She hadn't slept at all last night, too worried about Luke and, she had to admit, Han. She would probably never admit to either man just how relieved she had been when the search patrol had brought them in this morning.

Han himself came over to stand next to her, also looking at their friend. "He gonna be okay?" he asked. He put his arm around her shoulders, and she did not object.

Somehow, she knew, and she answered, "He'll be fine," almost automatically.

Han smiled and squeezed her shoulder, then moved off, seeming almost… embarrassed? No, that couldn't be it, Leia thought. She did catch him looking back at her once before he left the medical center, and she gave him a curious look, remembering their conversation yesterday.

Leia shook her head slightly and went back to watching the monitors on Luke's bacta tank.

* * *

A little while later, Luke sat in the bed in his small quarters in Echo Base, resting. The door to his quarters opened with a hiss, and Han and Chewbacca walked in, the smuggler grinning broadly at him as the Wookiee growled a friendly greeting.

"How're ya feeling, kid?" Han said, kneeling next to the bed. "Why, you look strong enough to pull the ears off a gundark."

"Thanks to you," Luke said gratefully.

Han grinned again. "That's two you owe me, junior," he said, holding up two fingers for emphasis.

The door to Luke's quarters opened again, and Princess Leia and her two droids walked in - or rolled, in Artoo's case. The astromech whistled cheerfully at him, and Threepio clanked over to the bed, his immobile metal face somehow giving the impression of smiling.

"Oh, Master Luke, it's so good to see you fully functional again," Threepio said happily, and Luke smiled in response.

Han turned and sat on the edge of Luke's bed, flashing a cocky grin at Leia before she could say anything. "Well, Your Worship," he said, "it looks like you managed to keep me around a while longer."

"I had nothing to do with it," Leia said hotly, annoyed. "General Rieekan thinks it's dangerous for any ships to leave the system until the shields are operational."

"That's a good story," Han said, rising to his feet with a grin still spread across his face. "_I_ think you just can't bear to let a gorgeous guy like me out of your sight."

Leia scoffed. "I don't know where you get your delusions, laser brain."

Chewbacca chortled, grinning widely at the lively exchange.

"Laugh it up, fuzz-ball," Han said, glancing up at his Wookiee friend. "But you didn't see us alone in the south passage." He moved to put his arm around Leia's shoulders, grinning again. "She expressed her true feelings for me."

Leia sputtered with surprise and irritation. "My what?!" She pushed away from Han, flushing as she glared incredulously up at him. "Why you stuck-up, half-witted, scruffy-looking… nerf-herder!" she exclaimed, quite clearly embarrassed.

"_Who's_ scruffy-looking?" Han demanded mock-indignantly. He grinned as he looked back at Luke. "I must have hit pretty close to the mark to get her all riled up like that, huh, kid?"

Luke fought to keep the smile from his face, nodding slightly. Leia looked over like she wanted to shoot them both, and when the door opened, she whirled toward it almost gratefully. Mara Jade stepped inside, glancing around with a faintly amused expression at the faces before her.

"What's going on in here?" she asked, also fighting not to smile. "I could hear you outside."

Leia left the room at a pace slightly faster than necessary, and Mara glanced after her with a quizzical expression.

Han flashed her his most dazzling smile and said, "She's coming around," as he leaned against the wall next to Luke's bed.

Mara nodded amusedly before she looked back down at Luke. "How are you feeling?" she asked.

Luke leaned back and shrugged. "All right I guess," he said, attempting an air of nonchalance, as if nearly getting frozen to death was something he did on a regular basis. From the way Han rolled his eyes, Luke suspected he was less than successful.

Mara smiled slightly and reached out to pat his knee beneath the blanket. "Well, I hope you feel better soon," she said, and she turned to leave.

"Uh… thanks," Luke said after her, feeling his cheeks start to flush.

As Mara left, Han shook his head, grinning. "That was just painful."

Luke blushed deeper. "Like you're an expert," he said, trying to hide his embarrassment.

The Corellian chuckled. "Better than you, that's for sure. Talking to girls must not be part of Jedi training."

Luke laughed despite himself. "Oh, get out of here," he said, chuckling.

Han laughed himself. "Take it easy, kid." He gestured to Chewbacca, and he and the Wookiee left.

* * *

On their way out of Luke's room, an alarm sounded, and Han and Chewbacca hurried off to the command center.

General Rieekan and one of his officers were conferring there when they arrived, and the general looked up as Han and Chewie arrived. Leia, who was also there, glanced over at the smuggler and the Wookiee before looking back down at the sensor screen.

"What's going on?" Han asked.

"We've picked up something in Zone Twelve," Rieekan answered. "It's moving east."

"It's metal, whatever it is," the sensor officer said.

"Then it can't be one of those creatures," Leia said, a thoughtful look on her face.

"Is it one of ours?" Han asked. "A speeder?"

"No," the sensor officer answered. He put a hand up to his headphones suddenly. "Wait, I'm getting something very faint." He put it on his console's speakers, and the personnel in the control room listened to the odd, throbbing noise for a moment.

"I am fluent in six million forms of communication," Threepio announced suddenly. "That signal is not one used by the Rebellion. It could be an Imperial code."

Han chewed his lip thoughtfully. "Whatever it is, it isn't friendly," he said. "Come on, Chewie, let's go check it out."

[...]

As he and Chewie drew closer to the signal the Rebels had detected, the Wookiee growled as he pointed at an insectoid metal shape with several dangling appendages. Han nodded underneath the hood of his heavy coat and moved off to the probe droid's other side, drawing his blaster as he ducked out of sight behind a snowbank.

Chewie roared at the droid from its other side, and it shot at him with the blasters built into its carapace. Han fired back, and it swiveled to fire at him. Chewie shot it with an explosive bolt from his bowcaster, and it fired at the Wookiee, spitting red lasers at the hairy brown shape crouched behind a large chunk of ice. Han shot again, and, surprising him, the droid exploded into a million pieces in a brief fireball.

Frowning, Han brought out his comlink and contacted the base, telling them he'd found the object.

"_What was it?" _Leia's voice asked.

"Droid of some kind," Han replied. "I didn't hit it that hard; it must have had a self destruct."

"_An Imperial probe droid,_" Leia said with a hint of both annoyance and trepidation.

Han frowned again. "It's a good bet the Empire knows we're here," he said.

General Rieekan's voice came over the comm, full of weary resignation. "_We'd better start the evacuation_," he said.

Han nodded grimly. "Come on, Chewie," he said, and the two headed back to the base.

* * *

At the edge of the Hoth system, thirteen Star Destroyers erupted from hyperspace, weapons bristling with promised death. The largest of these dwarfed the others, soaring forward to take the front place in the formation.

In the bridge of the Super Star Destroyer _Executor_, Grand Admiral Thrawn watched the sensor console over the shoulder of the officer manning it, glowing red eyes taking every detail. He pointed to a small satellite on the readout, an early-warning system designed to alert the Rebels to any incoming ships.

But for now, the Star Destroyers were beyond the sensor's range, as per Thrawn's orders. He intended to successfully execute a variation of Lord Vader's planned strategy for the Battle of Yavin, which had been bumbled by Ozzel, the fleet's previous commander.

Thrawn frowned to himself at the idea of that fool being entrusted with the _Executor_ and its fleet. Vader's plan had been a sound one, and probably would have succeeded if not for the incompetent admiral. Today, it would work, and the fleet would catch the Rebels by total surprise.

Piett, it had to be admitted, had made the best of the situation despite Ozzel's blunder, and in reward Lord Vader had made the man's field promotion to Admiral official, despite the fact that he only commanded the _Executor._ Thrawn found him an excellent subordinate, with a quick grasp of tactics; there were far too few officers like him in the Fleet. But, one had to work with what one had.

"Transmit the code to the satellite as we move within range," Thrawn ordered, indicating the data chip Lord Vader had given him, filled with information procured by the Emperor's Hand.

As the satellite detected the massive bulk of the flagship, the _Executor_ transmitted the stolen code that told the satellite it was a friendly vessel, as were the other Star Destroyers in its accompanying fleet.

During the hyperspace journey, Thrawn had prepared a signal to send to the Rebels to fool them into thinking their Admiral Ackbar was here with his fleet, ready to defend against an Imperial battle group that was prowling through the sector. He transmitted the signal, then ordered the fleet to move at maximum sublight speed for the sixth planet of the system, the one the probe report had indicated.

The Grand Admiral allowed himself a small, grim smile. The Rebellion would be dealt a crushing blow today, one from which it might never recover.

* * *

Darth Vader was meditating in his chair when the door to his quarters opened and General Veers walked in, and he turned his head to face the officer, opening his eyes. "What is it?" he asked.

"My lord," Veers replied, "the fleet has moved out of lightspeed. Com-Scan has detected an energy field protecting an area of the sixth planet of the Hoth system. The field is strong enough to deflect any bombardment."

Vader considered this thoughtfully, extending his senses out to the planet below them. He sensed nervousness and a flurry of activity, but not panic; the Rebels knew they were coming but not that they were already here.

"They must have found the droid," the Sith Master said with mild annoyance; he'd half expected that, anyway. "Prepare a ground assault, and make the shield generator your first priority." He glanced out of the window at the white sphere growing closer below them. "Have they begun launching transports?"

Veers shook his head. "No, my lord. They appear to have believed the Grand Admiral's signal, and their transmissions to us have been largely to inquire as to the location of the Imperial fleet." Veers' mouth quirked ironically as he finished, smugness radiating from him in waves detectable even without the Force.

Vader looked out at the other Star Destroyers in his fleet, moving into position to cut off any escape. Soon the small, frozen planet would be completely surrounded. "Inform my apprentice that he is to lead the assault," he said, indicating he was finished, and Veers saluted crisply before leaving.

The Sith Master decided to head down to the hangar bay to monitor the attack from his shuttle before he launched. Thrawn did not need his assistance in organizing the attack, and Vader decided to stay off of the bridge, even though it was exactly where he wanted to be. He would come down himself once Veers and Darth Nova knocked out the shield.

He could sense his son already, a bright spot in the Force, and in the background, not as powerful, the Force presence of Mara Jade. He thought he could dimly sense another individual, but the presence was so faint and so like Luke's that he couldn't be sure it was anything at all, perhaps an echo of his son's.

Retrieving his lightsaber from where it sat on the arm of his chair, Vader set off down to the hangar bay.

* * *

Inside Echo Base, the Rebels scrambled to pack up their equipment, fleeing for the transports waiting outside. No one inside the base had any inkling that a fleet of Star Destroyers was waiting for them - except one young man, who paused as a dreaded, though familiar presence manifested itself in the Force.

Luke slowly finished zipping up his insulated orange flight suit as he extended his perceptions through the Force. As he searched after the powerfully bright spot he knew to be his father, he sensed another presence, almost or equally as powerful. With a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach, he realized the other Force-user could be none other than Vader's Sith Apprentice, Darth Nova.

He felt his blood freeze with horror as he sensed thousands of other, unfamiliar lives near the two shining spots in the Force, and he hurriedly finished putting on his flight gear as he ran out of his quarters and sprinted for the command center.

"He's here!" Luke shouted at the top of his lungs as he ran. "He's here, he's _here!_"

Han caught his arm as Luke ran into the command center. "Hey, slow down there, junior. Who's here?"

"Vader!" Luke said desperately, looking around for General Rieekan or Leia.

Han's brows shot up. "You sure?"

Luke nodded, still looking for the commanders of the base. "I can sense him, just like he can sense me." He looked over at Han, frantic now. "Vader's here, in orbit, and he brought his fleet with him."

Han spluttered a surprised Corellian curse as he scrambled off to help Luke look for the general or the princess. He'd seen Luke do too many strange things to doubt the kid now, and if he was this panicked, then it was definitely serious.

The smuggler and the Jedi finally found General Rieekan, who was standing in front of one of the consoles in the back of the command center, conferring with Princess Leia and her aide, Winter. Both women looked up as Han and Luke dashed over, instantly noting the panic in their eyes.

"They're here!" Luke blurted, gesturing upward. "The Empire is here, in orbit!"

"What?" Leia exclaimed, moving with Winter and General Rieekan to look at the sensor console tied into their orbiting satellites. It showed several large ships, but all were broadcasting Alliance transponder codes through the friend-or-foe recognition system.

"I thought that was Admiral Ackbar's fleet," Rieekan said, looking up with a concerned expression at Luke. Like the others, he'd seen Luke do too many things with the Force to dismiss his concern.

"No, it's Vader," Luke said. "He's brought his apprentice with him."

"Where's the real Ackbar's fleet, then?" Leia asked, turning to Winter.

The white-haired young woman thought briefly, summoning the information from her eidetic memory. "He should be out at the rendezvous point." She frowned slightly. "I thought there was something odd about the messages we received." She looked around at the others. "I think Luke's right."

Han muttered a sulfurous Corellian curse under his breath, at least having the manners to look briefly embarrassed when he looked up at the ladies present. "Sorry," he mumbled, looking down at the sensor board. "That's an Imperial fleet, all right," he said more loudly. "They're trying to hold in Ackbar's preferred formation, but you can tell they're not used to it." He pointed to the furthest contact out. "I'd bet the _Falcon_ that that's the _Executor_, trying to hide half out of sensor range so we'll think she's smaller than she really is." He smiled grimly. "Not easy to hide a nineteen-kilometer ship, even for Thrawn."

The sinking feeling in those gathered around the sensor console was almost palpable; the _Executor_ meant both Vader and Thrawn were here, which meant the Rebels were very much in trouble. _Serious_ trouble.

Rieekan nodded grimly. "Our energy shield will protect us from their turbolasers, but we should prepare for ground assault." He looked up at the gathered Rebels. "Get the word out: ready a defense while we finish getting the transports loaded."

As they moved off, Han grumbled and lightly tapped Luke's shoulder. "This is Yavin all over again," he said to the young Jedi.

Luke nodded. "Only he brought the rest of his fleet this time. The planet's surrounded."

Han looked over at his friend grimly. "If you've got any tricks up your sleeve, kid, now's the time to use 'em." With that, he slapped Luke's shoulder and turned to jog off to the hangar bay.

Luke absently reached down to the lightsaber at his belt, wondering what the small force of Rebels could do against the overwhelming might of the Empire.

* * *

In orbit above, Darth Vader looked down at his second-in-command for a final word before the Sith Apprentice boarded his dropship.

"Spare no one but Skywalker," the Sith Master said.

"Yes, Master," Darth Nova replied, flexing his fingers inside their heavy gloves. "I will destroy the shield generator first, and then I will bring Skywalker to you."

Vader met his student's eyes briefly before he nodded once and turned to walk toward his own shuttle. Nova grinned as he boarded General Veers' transport; he hadn't had the chance to eradicate a base full of Rebels in a long time.

* * *

In the frozen trenches in front of Echo Base, dozens of Rebel soldiers gathered, nervously awaiting the arrival of their enemy. The frozen plains stretched out to infinity in front of them, ominously silent. No longer bothering to hide, the massive shape of the _Executor_ hung above like a dagger, intimidating through its sheer size. The damage was done, anyway; they were trapped here, like womp rats in a box canyon, and all the Empire needed to do was come down and start shooting.

As the Rebels watched, dozens of streaks flared up in the atmosphere, almost like a meteor shower, but each man and woman in the trenches knew all too well what they really were: Imperial dropships. From the sheer number streaming down, the Rebels knew with sinking hearts that they were vastly outnumbered.

As the first of the flaming streaks headed for the clear plain beyond the range of their shield, the Rebels dug in, checking their weapons one last time. The thought flashing through the mind of almost every man, woman, and alien was that they would quite probably not be leaving this frozen ball of ice alive. Prayers were silently said to a multitude of deities as more Imperial troops streaked down through the atmosphere, grimly set on the task of eradicating the long-standing thorn in the Empire's side.

The Battle of Hoth was about to begin.

* * *

Princess Leia looked around at the circle of orange-suited pilots standing nervously in the tunnel leading to the hangar.

"The large transports will leave as soon as they're loaded," Leia said. "Only two fighter escorts per ship. The energy shield can only opened for a split second, so you'll have to stick close to your transports."

"Two fighters against a Star Destroyer?" a Rebel pilot Leia knew as Hobbie said with incredulity.

"The ion cannon will fire several shots to clear your flight path," Leia explained. "When you clear the shield, you will proceed directly to the rendezvous point." She looked around at the circle of pilots, making eye contact with as many as she could. "Good luck."

The pilots moved off to their ships, and Leia followed them a short distance into the hangar, looking up at a sudden loud bellow from Chewbacca. She noted with a bit of amusement that the enormous hairy Wookiee was shouting something in his language at Han, who raced over with a fire extinguisher to smother a sparking system on the upper hull of his battered freighter. He engaged in a heated debate with his copilot, the two of them gesticulating wildly at each other as they argued about what was the quickest way to get the temperamental _Falcon_ ready to leave.

Leia smirked to herself, leaving the two of them to work on their ship as she went back to the command center.

Once she arrived, all trace of humor vanished as she found herself swept up in a flurry of nervous activity. General Rieekan and several other officers hunched over their consoles, watching their sensors.

"First transport approaching shield," a controller said.

"Prepare to open shield," Rieekan said, watching the monitor tracking the Star Destroyers overhead.

"Stand by, Ion Control," another officer said.

"Fire!" ordered Rieekan, and Leia heard the dull thump as the ion cannon fired several shots.

As she watched, the bright shape of the closest Star Destroyer suddenly veered off course, disabled by the ion cannon's shots. But, to her dismay, another Star Destroyer was waiting behind it, and the dot indicating the transport flickered several times before vanishing altogether.

Leia closed her eyes, thinking of all the people that had been aboard. When she looked up, General Rieekan's mouth was set in a hard line as he grimly moved on to try another strategy.

Another dull thump from above alerted Leia to the fact that the orbiting Imperial ships were firing down on the shield with their turbolasers. She frowned, realizing they were doing it just to rattle the Rebels, since their bolts could not penetrate the shields.

She sighed, moving off to see if there was anything she could do to help.

* * *

Luke was on his way to his snowspeeder, intending to aid in the defense, when he sensed a powerful presence in the Force. He paused, recognizing the presence as not Darth Vader, but the other one he'd sensed, the Dark Lord's apprentice.

Darth Nova was rapidly approaching, and Luke realized that he intended to fight his way through the troops massed outside. The young Jedi tossed his flight helmet to another pilot, sprinting off for the exit. As the lone Force-user on the Alliance's side, Luke knew he was the only person who could possibly stand in Nova's way.

* * *

A Rebel commander watched through his electrobinoculars as a line of enormous Imperial combat walkers approached through the snow, walking in formation like a malevolent herd of banthas.

But ahead of the huge metal walkers, a smaller black shape swooped over the ice fields with incredible speed, shooting forward like a rocket. The commander focused on the shape, furrowing his brow, and watched as it soared toward the Rebel lines.

When the small black shape drew closer, the commander realized it was a man on a speeder bike, and he wondered who would be foolish enough to approach without an armored vehicle for backup.

The commander gestured to one of the men manning a turret and ordered him to fire on the speeder bike. The turret spat red lances of death at the approaching speeder, and the man aboard it swerved to avoid, spinning his speeder bike through a dizzying series of maneuvers.

Finally, one of the turrets scored a hit, and the Rebel commander watched with grim satisfaction as the speeder bike exploded in a quick yellow fireball. But, he realized as he looked closer, the man was no longer on it. With puzzlement, the commander looked around, and had the misfortune to look up just as the man, who had leaped from his speeder bike in an impossibly long jump, came down only a few meters from the commander's position.

The Imperial, a grim young man dressed in black cold-weather gear, looked directly at the commander with a piercing dark brown gaze that, as the commander watched in horror, slowly turned to red-rimmed yellow. He pulled a lightsaber from his belt and, holding it in a reversed grip, ignited the ruby-red blade.

Sending a chill down the commander's spine, the Sith warrior slowly smiled, baring his teeth in a fiercely amused expression more suited to a nek battle dog than a human being.

The Sith Lord leaped forward, his lightsaber at the ready, and the commander knew no more.

* * *

Inside the lead Imperial walker, General Veers watched through the AT-AT's front viewports as a sudden flurry of activity flared up on the Rebel lines. He could see Darth Nova's shining red lightsaber even at this distance, moving at superhuman speed as the young Sith mowed down the Rebel defenders with wild abandon.

Veers smirked to himself before turning to one of his pilots. "Distance to power generators?" he asked the man.

"Six-four-one," the man replied, glancing at a readout on his console.

"Ready the heavy guns," Veers ordered, steadying himself as a Rebel speeder soared overhead, firing at them with its blasters. Secure in his knowledge that his walker's armor was strong enough to absorb the Rebel fire, Veers turned back to the front viewport, watching as the power generators slowly drew closer with each long step.

* * *

Mara Jade watched from the gaping mouth of the hangar as the Imperial troops slowly approached in their AT-ATs. Her gaze was drawn to the bright red flashes and panicked shouting coming from the trenches, and she realized that Darth Nova was leading the assault, clearing out the Rebel lines personally.

She watched as a turret, terrified Rebel gunner still inside, lifted free from the ground and swiveled down to face the lines. Under Nova's control, it fired repeatedly, eliciting screams and shouts from the Rebels. Then, it began to spin, moving faster and faster until it became a blur. Mara forced herself to watch as the Rebel flew free of the spinning turret, screaming as he tumbled in free-fall to the hard ice below. The turret, still spinning, hurtled upwards and slammed into one of the snowspeeders, detonating both in a bright orange fireball.

"Biggs!" a distraught voice shouted next to her. Startled, Mara turned to see Luke Skywalker standing a few meters away, lightsaber in hand but not ignited. The look of sorrow on his face was heart-wrenching, and Mara had to look away.

_This is all because of you_, she thought to herself, watching as more Rebels died under Nova's assault. _You might as well be killing these people yourself._

Mara fiercely pushed such thoughts aside. She was an agent of the Empire, the rightful government of the galaxy, and these people were dissidents who threatened its stability. They were the enemy, the 'bad guys' as the children in the Sith Temple put it, and she was fighting on the side of good.

So why did she feel so horrible as Darth Nova, a man who might as well have been her brother, leaped from trench to trench, ruthlessly cutting down anything moving?

"Get back inside, Mara," Luke said suddenly. "It's too dangerous out here."

He looked over at her with his big blue eyes, still gentle despite all that he'd seen and all that had happened to him, and she had to look away, feeling ashamed despite herself. If their sides were reversed, and Skywalker an agent of Vader, he'd be telling her to get out there and fight for the glory of the Empire and their leader. Instead, he was concerned for her safety, completely unsuspecting that she was as much his enemy as the Sith out there cutting down his friends.

Mara realized with a start that Luke intended to fight Nova, and she grabbed his arm. "Don't go out there," she warned. "He'll kill you!"

The young Jedi squared his shoulders, a determined look in his eye. "I have to," he said. "I'm the only one who can stop him."

Mara opened her mouth to say more, but then closed it, internally struggling. She couldn't betray Lord Vader and the Empire, but she'd grown to care about this young man and the rest of the Rebels in her three years with them. She didn't want to see him killed, him or any of the other people who'd been nothing but friendly to her since Alderaan.

_You're a horrible spy, Jade,_ she thought fiercely to herself. _Didn't Lord Vader train you better than this? These people deserve what's happening to them._

With a last look at Mara, Luke ignited his sapphire-blue lightsaber and charged out of the hanger, leaping out in a series of long bounds to the trenches. Mara closed her eyes and turned away, not wanting to see him cut down by the Sith Lord out there who had done the same to so many of his friends.

* * *

Luke tried fiercely to contain his fear as he sprinted over the snow. This would be the first time he actually fought one of Darth Vader's followers, the first time he confronted another being armed with the Force. He was nervous, to be sure, but he had to do it, or else this creature of the Dark Side would slaughter all his friends, including Leia, Han, Winter, Chewbacca, and Mara.

The young Jedi drew strength from thinking about Mara, feeding his determination with thoughts of protecting her from this Sith. It was his duty as a Jedi, just like Ben had taught him, to stand up against those who used the Dark Side.

As he crested the final snow-drift, Luke stood at the top and looked down at the other Force-wielder, who was leaping over to slash at a fleeing Rebel with his scarlet lightsaber. Concentrating, Luke sent a Force push down at the Sith, knocking him away from his prey. Darth Nova looked up at him sharply, locking onto this new threat like a missile's homing system.

"Hey!" Luke shouted down, trying not to let his nervousness show. "Why don't you try picking on someone your own size?"

The Sith Lord raised an openly mocking eyebrow, as if silently asking the young Jedi if he had really used such a clichéd line. Luke himself belatedly wished he'd thought of something better.

Pushing distractions aside, Luke raised his lightsaber to a defensive position, glaring back down at the man who'd already murdered a dozen of his friends. Darth Nova actually smiled, raising his own lightsaber. With a fierce shout, the Sith acrobatically somersaulted up the snow drift, covering a dozen meters in an instant with his jump.

Jumping aside, Luke slashed at Nova's back with his sapphire blade, but the Sith moved his own ruby lightsaber up to intercept. He kept his saber in position and twisted his body, moving until he mirrored Luke's position.

He stared at Luke with his yellow eyes, burning with the Dark Side, and Luke met his gaze resolutely, flexing his arms as he held the Sith back. Their lightsabers hissed and spat as they locked blades, each trying to force the other backwards.

Luke sensed Nova summoning a reserve of Force energy, and as the Sith Lord pushed at him with the Force, Luke pushed back, shifting his feet in the snow for greater stability.

Finally, the two Force-users' respective pushes both became too strong for the other to hold back, and each went flying backwards, tumbling through the air. Luke deactivated his lightsaber as he fell, and he rolled through the snow for a few meters before falling heavily into a trench.

Groaning, the young Jedi picked himself up, looking over at the Rebels who looked back at him with curious expressions. One of the men gestured up into the air behind Luke, and he turned to see a snowspeeder plummeting out of the sky right at him.

Luke seized the snowspeeder with the Force and slowed its descent, finally stopping it a few meters above the trench. The Rebel soldiers openly stared at the young Jedi as he concentrated, carefully setting the speeder down a few meters away. The pilot and his gunner leaped out, and not a moment too soon, for just as the gunner stepped off the wing of his craft, Nova flipped it over and smashed it down on Luke.

But Luke was ready, and he ignited his lightsaber, slashing a wide hole through the speeder. It slammed into the snow with incredible force around him, and he pushed the debris aside as he leaped out of the hole he had cut, twisting in midair to land on top of a turret.

Nova hurled his lightsaber at Luke, sending it spinning through the air like a deadly boomerang, and Luke jumped out of the way, ducking as it spun over his head. Nova sent the lightsaber whirling after him, and as Luke sprinted for the shape of its owner, he suddenly twisted and brought up his own blade, halting the lightsaber's spin on the shining blue beam of his own weapon.

The Sith Lord swept the disembodied lightsaber down at Luke's feet, but he somersaulted over it, coming down on its other side with the pommel facing him. Concentrating, Luke seized Nova's lightsaber with the Force and sent it at its owner like an arrow. The Sith leaned out of the way, grabbed his weapon as it shot past him, then leaped forward in a long flip to bring his glowing blade down in a powerful two-handed strike at Luke's head.

Luke caught the blow and held his opponent back, gritting his teeth with exertion. He could feel the Dark Side roiling within his opponent, flowing through him like some kind of drug, feeding him power. Luke drew strength from the other side of the Force, remembering Obi-Wan's years of training as he tried to push down his aggression, summoning calm to take its place.

Anger surged up, straining at its leash within his core as it begged to be let loose upon his enemy, pleaded to surge forth with rage and hate to rid the universe of this monster who had slaughtered so many. Luke knew all too well the dangers of letting go, but it was certainly tempting. It seemed to whisper to him in his mind, telling him that it would be different with him; _he_ could control himself. _He_ wouldn't repeat the same course as his father, wouldn't let anger drag him along behind it as it rushed headlong into disaster.

Nova sneered at him over their crossed lightsabers. "I don't know what Lord Vader sees in you, boy," he said, voice strained with exertion. "You're just as weak as all the other Jedi we've killed."

Luke ignored the taunt, holding his opponent back as he gathered power. Giving no hint as to his intentions, Luke flexed his arms and started to push forward. Nova responded by pushing back twice as hard, exactly what Luke had counted on.

Suddenly, he seized Nova's ankles with the Force and pulled backwards as hard as he could as he jumped aside. The surprised Sith toppled forward, and Luke swept his lightsaber down in an ending blow.

But unfortunately, that was the exact moment the Imperial walkers destroyed the shield generator. The massive shockwave off-balanced the young Jedi, and his saber hit the snow beside the Sith instead. In the next second, Nova blasted him with a stream of Force Lightning, and Luke stumbled back, falling down the snow drift.

When he finally came to a stop, groaning and still twitching from the lightning, Luke saw a massive fireball overhead as the orbiting Star Destroyers obliterated a Rebel transport. As he sensed the Sith Lord approaching, Luke painfully pulled himself to his feet and called his lightsaber to him from where it had landed during his tumble, wearily going off to engage his enemy again.

* * *

"Another transport coming into our sector, sir," an Imperial officer said to Grand Admiral Thrawn.

"Destroy them," Thrawn said, looking down at the white globe below them through the viewports of the _Executor_'s bridge. "Inform the _Avenger_ and the _Relentless_ to move into position to begin orbital bombardment. As soon as General Veers brings down the shield, they are to destroy any craft still on the ground, as well as the hangar."

"Yes, sir," the communications officer said.

"Any sign of their fleet?" Admiral Piett asked behind Thrawn. The Grand Admiral turned his head slightly to listen to the report.

"No, sir," the sensor officer told Piett. "We've destroyed their communications satellites, and we've detected no long-range transmissions since the battle began."

"Good," Piett said. "Continue to jam their transmitters, and destroy them when the shield comes down."

"The Rebel shield is failing!" another sensor officer announced suddenly.

"Order our troops to withdraw," ordered Thrawn. "Then commence bombardment. Inform Lord Vader that he may start his landing."

Thrawn could see already that the Empire would have a victory this day. All that remained was to hunt down the Rebel fleet, and then this irritating movement would be crushed forever.

Once it was, the Empire could finally get down to the business of preparing for the true threat, the reason why nearly three entire fleets' worth of resources had been diverted to the Unknown Regions in a slow but steady stream over the course of Thrawn's decades-long collaboration with Darth Vader and his deceased master Darth Sidious before him.

Then, perhaps, Vader might finally make good on his promise, and provide the rest of the resources and troops in exchange for which Thrawn fought his wars and put up with his increasingly erratic moods.

For now, Syndic Mitth'raw'nurodo of the Chiss Ascendancy needed the Empire just as much as it needed him. Until the day that was no longer the case, he would remain Grand Admiral Thrawn and chase Rebels for the Emperor.

* * *

-/\\-


	16. II,3: Escape From Echo Base

-/\\-

* * *

**Three**  
(Escape from Echo Base)

Han stumbled into a wall as an explosion rocked the Rebel base. He picked himself up, stepping over chunks of ice knocked out of the ceiling and other debris, and continued on into the command center.

The command center was a mess; consoles had fallen over, support beams had been knocked down, and damaged systems shot sparks periodically. Han squinted through the confusion, trying to locate the person he'd braved the explosions to check on.

Finally, he spotted her, still hunched over a console with an Alliance technician, issuing orders. Leia glanced up as Han yelped in surprise when another explosion tried to toss him to the ground.

"Why are you still here?" Leia said impatiently.

"Nice to see you, too, Your Highness," Han replied, stepping over a fallen console. "I heard the command center'd been hit."

"You've got your clearance, Captain," Leia said, looking back at the screens. "You can leave any time."

"Oh, I'll leave, all right," Han said, finally arriving over the obstacle course to the princess. "I'm going to make sure you're on your transport first."

Leia nodded slightly in thanks as she turned back to the technician. "Give the final evacuation code, then get to your transport," she said to the woman manning the console.

When she gave no sign of leaving, Han grabbed Leia's hand and pulled her along behind him, ignoring her protests. Another explosion tossed them roughly into a wall, and as they moved off to the tunnel leading to the hangar bay, C-3PO rushed over in a panic.

"Wait for me!" he said, moving as fast as his servomotors allowed.

"_Imperial troops have entered the base!_" the intercom squawked. _"Imperial troops have…_" Ominously, the panicked message ended in blaster fire and static.

"Come on!" Han said, pulling Leia along faster. He knew all too well what would happen if she was captured by Vader's troops.

They raced through the tunnels, but just as they were nearing the entrance to the transport bay, Han felt another shudder and pulled Leia back. As another powerful explosion shook Echo Base, the roof began to collapse, and Han shielded Leia with his own body, wincing as an ice fragment struck him between the shoulder blades.

He pulled his comlink out of his pocket as he looked at the blocked-off tunnel. "Transport, this is Solo," he said. "Better take off; I can't get to you. I'll get Leia out on the _Falcon_."

He took Leia's hand again and pulled her back in the direction from which they had come, confusing Threepio, who stopped as they ran past him.

"Wh-Where are you going?" the protocol droid demanded, starting after them.

Han saw Mara Jade in the tunnel up ahead, and he waved at her as another turbolaser strike shook the base. "Come on, Red!" he shouted. "Tunnel's blocked!"

The red-haired young woman immediately ran with them, pulling ahead as they dodged falling ice chunks and other debris. Han spotted Winter as they neared the _Falcon_'s hangar, and he shouted for her to follow them as well.

Han and the three women ran through the tunnels, and as they finally drew near the hangar, a blaster shot rang out from behind them, blowing a hole in the tunnel wall by Leia's head. The princess reflexively ducked as Han spun and shot back with his blaster. Mara also pulled a blaster and fired a few bolts at the troopers, armored in white cold-weather gear. Threepio shouted in electronic terror, somehow managing not to get hit.

As Han rushed the three women ahead of him into the final stretch of tunnel, he spotted a tall, dark figure with the snowtroopers, a long black cloak billowing out as the man moved rapidly down the corridor with the troops. The smuggler's eyes widened as he saw the glowing blue photoreceptor and recognized Darth Vader, who raised a gloved hand to point at the fleeing group.

"Move it!" Han shouted, pushing Leia ahead of him through a door. He heard Threepio's brief protest as the door shut in front of him, and Han impatiently opened it again.

"How typical," Threepio said as the door opened, and Han grabbed his arm.

"Come on!" he said, pulling the droid into the hangar behind him. He shot the controls to the door as it closed, hoping to slow the troopers down for a moment.

Han turned and raced for the familiar shape of his ship, where Chewbacca waited beside the open ramp, bellowing for them to hurry up. Winter and Leia were the first aboard, Mara right behind them, and Han shouted ahead.

"Somebody get in the belly turret! There's stormtroopers right behind me!"

Winter nodded quickly as she dashed inside the _Millennium Falcon_, and Han increased his speed, dodging more falling ice and snow.

"Wait for me!" Threepio cried, shuffling as fast as he could manage through the hangar.

Han shouted over his shoulder as he ran up the ramp. "Hurry it up, Goldenrod, or you're gonna be a permanent resident!"

He waited for a moment at the controls, and as soon as the protocol droid set foot on the ramp, Han punched the button to raise it.

Han ran off to the cockpit, Chewie and Leia right behind him. Just as he entered the cockpit, the lights faded, and Han irritably smacked the panel over the door. As the lights reactivated, he caught Leia's smirk, and he briefly debated frowning at her or smirking right back.

All humor vanished from Han's expression as he tried the engines and received only a dull whining in response. He tried to lift off again, but nothing happened.

Chewbacca growled that something was wrong, and Han frowned as he looked at the status display. "You're right," the smuggler said. "C'mon, let's go see what the problem is."

"Would it help if I got out and pushed?" Leia asked sarcastically.

"It might!" Han shot back, just as blaster fire rocked the _Falcon._

The Corellian glanced outside to see white-armored troopers rushing in from outside, accompanied by the ebony-draped Vader, who swooped into the hangar like a bird of prey. Han felt a sudden quickening of his pulse as he and Chewbacca sprinted to the hold to frantically repair whatever was wrong so that they could get away from the Sith Master. Vader surely recognized the ship that had taken his eye at the Battle of Yavin, and Han knew it was all over if he caught them.

"Keep 'em off our backs for a minute!" Han shouted in the direction of the turrets, pausing to grab his toolbox as he and Chewbacca entered the hold.

The dull thump of the turret sounded a moment later, spraying burning streaks of light at the troopers and the Sith Master outside.

"Where's Luke when you need him?" Han muttered as he opened the service hatch.

* * *

Luke clawed his way out of the pile of snow that had been knocked over him during the last turbolaser strike. As he wiped the snow from his hair and face, he called his lightsaber to his hand, igniting it as soon as the hilt touched his palm. However, he didn't see his opponent anywhere; as far as he could see, Luke was alone with a battlefield full of corpses and debris. Several Imperial walkers were still moving around, but a few had been toppled, cables tangled around their legs. A solitary snowspeeder still harassed an Imperial AT-AT, but as Luke watched, the gigantic metal beast swiveled its head and blasted the speeder to pieces with its cannons.

The young Jedi could sense no Rebels nearby, but as he searched the Force, he realized Vader was within the base itself. Luke immediately made himself small in the Force, as Obi-Wan had shown him, hiding his presence from the Sith Master.

He looked around to see a field full of destroyed fighters and wrecked transports, but, miraculously, one X-wing remained unharmed. R2-D2 whistled urgently to him from his perch behind the cockpit of the fighter, and Luke immediately headed for his only way off the frozen world of Hoth, hoping he could avoid the blockade in orbit.

* * *

Han ran back into the _Falcon'_s cockpit, his hands flying over the controls as he jumped into his chair. From the hold, Chewbacca bellowed for him to try again, and the smuggler initiated the start-up sequence. This time, he was rewarded with a satisfying roar from his battered starship's engines, and he grinned widely at Leia and Mara, who came forward into the cockpit and sat down in the rear seats.

"Someday," Leia said wryly, "you're going to be wrong, and I just hope I'm there to see it."

Mara snorted amusedly, adding, "Day? We'll be lucky to survive the hour."

Han just grinned wider as he lifted free of the ice with the repulsors and swiveled his ship to point out of the gaping mouth of the hangar. The belly turret continued to fire behind him, but ceased as Han gunned the engines and roared out of the cavern, rocking the troopers with his wake.

Immediately upon leaving the hangar, Han had to dodge an incoming turbolaser bolt, and he swerved his freighter to the right, wincing at the closeness of the blast. He glanced behind to see the shot demolish the mouth of the hangar, and he shook his head, knowing how close they'd come to being trapped inside.

As Chewbacca entered the cockpit and took his usual place, he growled to Han that he had smelled further damage while he was fixing the engines, and that they might have to find a place to hide so they could effect repairs.

"Great," Han muttered to himself. "Just fantastic." He glanced over his shoulder at the two women sitting behind him. "Hold on," he said, and as he turned his gaze to the front, he saw one solitary X-wing lifting off nearby, also dodging the punishing rain of turbolaser fire.

There were no other intact Rebel ships still moving. Hadn't anyone else escaped? Han shook his head and grimly returned his attention to his task. Getting Leia out of here was more important.

"What's the widest space between the destroyers up there?" Han asked Chewbacca. The Wookiee studied his sensor board for a moment before barking a response, and Han hauled the _Falcon _over to race for it, hoping nothing else went wrong before they could jump to hyperspace.

* * *

Darth Vader gathered the Force and blasted the tons of ice blocking the entrance to the Rebel hangar aside, storming outside to watch the _Millennium Falcon_ soar up into the atmosphere. He saw an X-wing swooping away on a different trajectory, but he sensed a Force-sensitive aboard the _Falcon_ and focused his attention on it.

He could sense Jade, but there was another, a presence he thought might be his son's, though it didn't feel quite the same as it had on previous occasions. It was much fainter, and he wasn't sure what it was, though as he concentrated, he was able to determine the Force presence was someone other than Jade. He knew of no other Force-sensitives within the Rebel ranks, and his curiosity was piqued; the more he focused on the presence, the more he was sure it was not his son.

Who else was aboard that freighter? And where was Luke?

Vader's attention was drawn to movement off in the distance, and looked down at the object, zooming in with the telescopic function of his mechanical eye. As the figure ignited a ruby-red lightsaber, Vader frowned, recognizing his apprentice.

He strode out of the hangar and over the ice, picking his way through the debris left by the destroyed fighters and transports outside. Darth Nova saw him and raced over with a series of Force-assisted jumps.

The Sith Master stopped and waited for his apprentice to come to him, the cold Hoth wind whipping his cloak around him as it roared in his ears. He folded his arms over his chest, letting his displeasure show plainly on his face as Nova approached.

"Where is Skywalker?" Vader asked before Nova could say anything.

"I tried to capture him," the younger Sith replied, "but as we fought, the turbolaser bombardment knocked us apart. I have not seen him since then."

"He has escaped," Vader said dangerously. "You have failed me again."

Nova looked up, attempting to hide his desperation. "He is skilled, Master, more skilled than I had thought him. If I may say so, he is more powerful than any Force-user I have ever encountered except you."

"This is true," Vader agreed, looking up at the rapidly vanishing dot of the _Millennium Falcon_. "That is why I told you to bring him to me."

Vader realized that, although he had sensed nothing from the X-wing, Luke had to be its pilot. He was not on any of the transports, nor was he on the Corellian freighter.

"Atone for your failure by tracking Skywalker's fighter," he said. "Return to your ship and follow him. The Interdictor above will force him to remain at sublight until he can move beyond its field."

Nova bowed his head. "Yes, my Master." He hurried off in the direction of the Rebel base, and Vader watched him go for a moment.

The Sith Master brought out his comlink, signaling his shuttle. "Tell Grand Admiral Thrawn that he is to capture the _Millennium Falcon._ Coordinate the fleet so that they cannot get away. I will be returning to the _Executor _immediately."

"_Yes, my lord,"_ the pilot responded.

Vader turned and walked back to the hangar, sensing that he was very close to finally meeting his son. Plans formed in his mind for the capture of both the _Millennium Falcon_ and his son. He was confident that, despite his failure during the battle, Nova would be able to track the X-wing. Solo and his heavily modified ship, however, would prove somewhat more difficult. Perhaps some outside help was in order…

* * *

Luke roared away from Hoth in his X-wing fighter, leaving the Star Destroyers and their accompanying Interdictor behind as quickly as he could. As he accelerated his fighter to its maximum speed, angling up for a hyperspace trajectory, he was surprised to see nothing else moving besides the Imperial fleet. Was he the only one who had escaped?

R2-D2 let out a low, mournful whistle behind him, and Luke glanced at his screen for the translation. Apparently, their sensors reported that from the debris scattered over Hoth, almost every Rebel transport had been either destroyed or captured. Only two or three had escaped.

Luke felt sick at this; most of the people he had lived and worked with over the last three years were now either dead or in Imperial captivity, which was almost worse. So many people had died around him for the Rebellion, and it looked like the death wasn't going to stop anytime soon. Vader would stop at nothing to get to him, Luke knew, and as long as he was around, none of his friends were safe.

The young Jedi hissed a Huttese curse under his breath as he smacked a fist into the bulkhead next to him. Even with all he had done for the cause, he sometimes felt that the Rebellion would have been better off if he'd never left Tatooine. At least Ben would still be alive.

No, he realized. If not for him, Leia and her family would have been executed by Vader on Alderaan, and Vader would have wiped out the Rebel base anyway once he finally tortured its location out of either Bail Organa or his daughter.

Artoo burbled that he did see one ship moving among the Imperial fleet, and that it was being fired on, so it wasn't an enemy vessel. Luke looked at the sensor readings himself, and from both the power of the engines and the wild maneuvers, he knew it had to be the _Millennium Falcon_.

Luke started to haul over to race for the Corellian freighter, intending to help at least Han and whoever else he'd managed to bring with him escape the Empire. But partway through the maneuver, a bright green lance of blaster fire screamed past his cockpit, bright enough to blind him momentarily.

As he tried to blink the afterimage out of his vision, Luke swerved wildly, trying to prevent whoever had shot at him from getting a target lock. Artoo shrieked as more blaster fire peppered the upper hull, reporting that the shields were nearly depleted, and Luke pushed the X-wing in a swooping dive, trying to outrace his pursuer.

With a sinking feeling, he recognized the overwhelmingly powerful Force presence of Darth Nova behind him. Vader's apprentice was still after him, it seemed, and Luke knew he would not give up.

"Artoo, do you have a hyperspace trajectory plotted?" he asked the droid behind him as he continued to twist his fighter through stomach-turning maneuvers, avoiding the green rain of blaster fire from Nova's ship.

The droid whistled back, and Luke made a desperate noise. "I don't care where!" he shouted. "Just get us out of here!"

Artoo computed for a moment as Luke tried as hard as he could to lose his pursuer, and when he finally bleeped that he was ready, Luke pushed his fighter into hyperspace and fled the battle.

In his own vessel, Darth Nova silently tracked Skywalker's vector and plotted his own hyperspace jump. He would chase the boy across the galaxy, if need be.

* * *

"Captain Solo, if I might-"

"Shut him up or shut him down!" Han snarled over his shoulder, wrestling with the controls of his vessel as he pushed it between two massive white Star Destroyers.

C-3PO squawked in electronic terror as Han swooped the _Falcon_ so close to the Star Destroyer's hull that Winter in the belly turret probably could have touched it if she reached beyond the bubble protecting her seat.

A storm of green light blazed around his ship, some bolts turbolaser fire and some blaster fire from the swarm of TIE fighters screaming after them. Han twisted the _Falcon_ through a dizzying corkscrew, gritting his teeth as the g-forces pressed him into his seat.

Chewbacca howled that the engines were unlikely to permit these kinds of maneuvers much longer, and Han grunted in frustration.

"I know, I know!" he said between gritted teeth, dodging another slew of turbolaser bolts. "Get the calculations started; I want to go to lightspeed as soon as we can." He watched the upper turret fire across the path of one of their TIE fighter pursuers, which drove the pilot right into the path of the other turret's fire. Han grinned; his gunners were getting good at that.

"How's the deflector shield?" Han asked as he tipped the ship on its side to swerve over the side of the Star Destroyer, intending to fly under its belly for a few dozen meters before popping back up on the other side.

Chewbacca reported that the deflectors were taking heavy damage, and they would be lucky to sustain even one more turbolaser blast.

"Great," Han growled. "Well, we can still out-maneuver 'em!"

He pulled a tight turn over the edge of the Star Destroyer's hull, too tight for one of their pursuers to follow, and the TIE smashed into the hull, detonating in a bright fireball. Han grinned fiercely; he just loved doing that.

As Chewie informed him the hyperspace jump was plotted, Han pulled the _Falcon_ straight up relative to the massive Imperial ship and punched his engines for all they were worth. A pack of TIE fighters howled after him, close as hounds nipping at his heels.

"They're getting closer," Leia warned.

"Oh, yeah?" Han challenged. "Watch this." He reached forward and threw the hyperspace lever.

His grin turned to a frown as nothing happened.

"Watch what?" Leia said impatiently, leaning forward in her seat.

"I think we're in trouble," Han said, trying again.

"If I may, sir," Threepio ventured, "I noticed earlier that the hyperdrive motivator has been damaged. It's impossible to go to lightspeed."

Chewbacca howled angrily as Han exclaimed, "We're in trouble!"

He jerked the controls down, swerving wildly as he attempted to think of a new plan.

The TIE fighters and the huge white Star Destroyer roared after them in close pursuit, predators smelling blood.

* * *

Luke emerged from his brief hyperspace jump and immediately set his navicomputer to plot a course to Dagobah; he'd looked the system up during the flight, and had discovered that the database listed the system as uninhabited and essentially unimportant, barely worth a mention aside from the fact that an old Republic survey team had catalogued it decades before he was born.

It was a good place for a fugitive Jedi Master to hide, he thought. With Vader's attention so occupied on hunting down the Rebellion, he hardly had time to search all of the multitudinous planetary systems of the galaxy, and so Master Yoda was relatively safe there.

At an interrogatory beep from Artoo, Luke replied, "We're going to the Dagobah system."

Another questioning trill.

"No, we're not going to regroup with the others," Luke said, a trace of resignation in his voice.

Artoo whistled sadly, and Luke nodded as he read the translation coming across on his screen. "I hope they got away, too," he said quietly.

The computations complete, Luke engaged the hyperdrive and settled in for the trip to Dagobah.

A silent black starship, which had been waiting for him out of the sensor range of the young Jedi's X-wing when he emerged from hyperspace, again tracked his trajectory and activated its own, faster hyperdrive, its grim pilot intending to capture Skywalker when he arrived at his destination.

Darth Nova would not fail his master again.

* * *

Leaving the flying to Leia and Mara, Han raced back with Chewbacca to attempt to repair their ship's hyperdrive. He gritted his teeth at each dull thump, knowing his freighter's shields wouldn't hold out much longer against this assault.

His torso jammed inside a maintenance hatch, Han called out systems for Chewie to check. "Horizontal boosters!"

Chewie growled that that system was functioning properly; it wasn't the problem.

"Alluvial dampers?"

Another growl; that wasn't it, either.

Han growled himself, in frustration. "All right, bring me the hydrospanners," he said, pulling himself further inside the hatch.

The _Falcon_ shook under another Imperial blast, and Han grunted a curse under his breath; he _really_ wished those damned Imps would leave them alone.

Chewbacca set the box of tools down at the edge of the hatch, and Han nodded his thanks as he picked up one of the hydrospanners. "I don't know how we're going to get out of this one," he confided. Chewie barked grimly in response. Han ducked back into the hatch to resume working.

A jarring _thump_ shook the ship and toppled the box right onto Han's head.

"Ow! Chewie!" Han hollered irritably, popping back up out of the hatch. The _Falcon _rocked again, and Han frowned. "That wasn't a laser blast; something hit us!"

"_Han, get up here!_" Leia's voice insisted over the intercom.

"Come on, Chewie," Han said to his friend as he bolted up to see what was wrong now. Could this day get any worse?

_Oh, yes it can,_ Han thought to himself as he entered the cockpit.

"Asteroids," Leia said from the copilot's seat, gesturing to the cloud of floating rock outside the viewport.

"Oh, no," Han said distractedly, already thinking as he gestured for Mara to get out of his chair. The red-haired Rebel moved to the chair behind his, and Han cast a quick glance over the sensor boards as he settled in.

"Chewie, set two-seven-one," Han ordered as the Wookiee sat down in his own chair, trying to remain calm.

"What are you doing?" Leia demanded, guessing at his intentions from the course. "You're not actually going _into_ the asteroid field?" she said incredulously.

"They'd be crazy to follow us, wouldn't they?" Han replied, intently adjusting controls.

"Not half as crazy as _you_," Mara said from behind him.

"You don't have to do this to impress me," Leia said nervously, sinking into the chair behind Chewbacca.

"Sir the possibility of successfully navigating an asteroid field is approximately three thousand, seven hundred and twenty to one!" Threepio exclaimed at the rear of the cockpit, forced to stand.

"Never tell me the odds!" Han said tightly, twisting the controls to swerve around a huge, heavily cratered rock in front of them.

Han was starting to have a bit of fun now; this was a lot like that race he'd flown at Ord Mantell a few months ago, except this time he was getting shot at. He glanced at the rear sensors to see that several TIE fighters had followed them in, careening around the floating asteroids in hot pursuit. "Red, get back to the other turret," Han said over his shoulder. "You and Winter keep 'em away as best you can."

Mara nodded as she got up, and Threepio quickly ducked into her seat, making nervous noises.

Chewbacca howled as a line of green blaster fire stitched its way past them, but even as the dorsal turret swiveled to fire, the TIE plowed right into a small asteroid, detonating violently. One of his companions tried to avoid the explosion, and in so doing, ran into yet another asteroid.

Han swooped the _Falcon_ between two of the larger chunks of rock, forcing the less bold TIE pilots to go around, and in the brief pause, Han twisted further and forced another TIE fighter into an asteroid.

Somehow, Han observed wryly despite the situation, it didn't seem quite fair that the larger _Falcon_ was able to avoid the asteroids more easily than the TIE fighters. But then, he amended, Imperial pilots weren't anywhere near his level. They just weren't that good, or as handsome.

His spirits lifted by his inner joke, Han whooped as he spun his freighter around an asteroid and under another, making tighter turns than the TIEs could keep up with.

He abruptly sobered as one of the smaller rocks, about the size of a speeder, nearly sheared off the cockpit before he maneuvered out of the way. "You said you wanted to be around when I made a mistake," he said to Leia. "This might be it, sweetheart."

"I take it back!" Leia replied, her voice betraying her nervousness at his wild flying. She leaned forward. "We're going to get pulverized if we stay out here much longer."

"Ain't gonna argue with that," Han agreed. A plan formed in his mind. "I'm going closer to one of the big ones."

"Closer?" Leia exclaimed.

"Closer?" Threepio echoed, horrified.

Chewbacca growled for the droid to shut up, but then added a further comment to Han that he thought this tactic might be too risky. Or, more accurately, he said he thought Han just might get them killed this time.

Han did not reply, diving for one of the bigger asteroids in their path as he dodged a smaller one, about the size of the _Falcon _itself. Several TIE fighters followed them, despite the fact that they now had to dodge turret fire as well as smaller chunks of rock.

The space around them was practically so thick with asteroids that he almost couldn't see the massive white bulk of one of the Star Destroyers behind them. They _definitely_ had to get away from the big ship, but to do that they first had to lose the fighters.

Han swooped his ship into one of the larger craters, and the TIEs followed, so, gritting his teeth, he accelerated and pushed closer to the crater floor. Upon reaching the far side of the crater, Han tilted the _Falcon_ on its side and sent it through a narrow crevice, and the TIE fighters tried to follow, but collided first with the rock walls and then each other, smashing apart and then exploding moments later.

Looking down at the terrain-following sensors, Han nodded. "There," he said to Chewie, pointing. "That looks pretty good."

"What looks pretty good?" Leia asked, leaning forward again.

Han didn't answer, reaching up to adjust more controls. "Yeah," he said, mostly to himself, "that'll do nicely."

Now that they were temporarily out of sight, Han made for the crater he'd seen earlier, specifically the cave in the bottom. Pleased to see that a tunnel extended back from the cave entrance, Han slowed down and moved farther down the long, narrow tunnel, looking for a good place to set down.

With all the metal in the asteroids around them, this would be an ideal place to hide and wait for the Empire's forces to move on before sneaking away, Han thought.

As they flew down the tunnel, Han flashed a grin at the princess, assuring her that he knew what he was doing.

From her skeptical expression, it was clear she was rather less confident.

* * *

Aboard the _Executor,_ Admiral Piett hurried to Lord Vader's quarters to give him an update. The Dark Lord had opted to leave command of the pursuit to Grand Admiral Thrawn, who remained on the bridge, intently studying the pursuit ships' reports on Solo's maneuvers as he formulated a counterstrategy.

Piett thought that Lord Vader had decided Thrawn could handle the pursuit, and was staying out of the way down here so as not to make his officers nervous by breathing down their necks as they did their jobs. Truthfully, Piett thought he was getting in Thrawn's way on the bridge himself, which was why he had decided to leave for a few moments to deliver the report personally. This needed Lord Vader's input, anyway.

The door opened in front of him as he paused, so Piett continued on inside to find Lord Vader sitting in his chair, his hands draped over the armrests and his eyes closed, apparently in meditation. He opened his natural eye, the eerie mechanical replacement flaring to life in sync, and looked over at Piett as he approached.

Piett instinctively stiffened as he felt that terrible will focus on him.

"Yes, Admiral?" Vader inquired.

"Our ships have sighted the _Millennium Falcon, _my lord," Piett began nervously, "but it has entered an asteroid field, and we cannot risk-"

"Asteroids do not concern me, Admiral," Lord Vader interrupted impatiently. "I want that ship, not excuses."

Piett nodded resignedly; he had been afraid of that. "Yes, my lord," he said, bowing his head as he backed out of the chamber.

He frowned as he headed back up to the bridge; taking the _Executor_ itself inside the asteroid field would result in a considerable amount of damage, but there was really no other way. A ship that small could evade pursuit in the maze of rock for days, and the only real way to prevent escape was to surround them while they could still be tracked.

As Piett entered the bridge, Thrawn looked up, focusing on him with his unnerving red eyes. Piett thought to himself momentarily that he was unfortunate to have not one but _two_ superiors who made him very uncomfortable just by meeting his gaze, but pushed the thought from his mind as he approached.

"What are Lord Vader's orders?" Thrawn asked with enviable calm.

"We are to continue pursuit," Piett replied.

Thrawn's face remained passive, giving no indication of what he was thinking. "Very well, Admiral," he said to Piett. "Take us in."

"Auxiliary power to the deflector shields," Piett ordered, moving further along the command walkway. "Instruct all batteries to keep the asteroids away from the hull wherever possible."

As the bridge crew carried out his orders, Thrawn approached, gesturing to the display behind them, which indicated the reports coming in from the other Star Destroyers as they spread their net.

"Solo is heading deeper into the field," Thrawn said thoughtfully. "He is reckless, though skilled, but he knows even he cannot avoid a collision forever, particularly with our fighters after him."

"Do you suppose he'll try to double back?" Piett asked. "He may try to head for a less dense portion of the field."

"No," Thrawn replied. "He'll do exactly the opposite. Solo will find an area difficult to search and then try to hide there, assuming, correctly, that we are too big to follow him."

The Grand Admiral clasped his hands behind his back, looking over at the bridge viewports and the dense field of rock beyond. "The high metal content of these asteroids is interfering with our sensors," he said quietly. "If Solo shuts down his systems, he will be nearly impossible to find."

Piett deflated at this, dreading having to report it to Lord Vader. He was further depressed by the news that the _Avenger_ had lost contact with the TIE fighters who had pursuing the Rebel ship, and therefore did not know the _Millennium Falcon_'s position at the moment. They'd lost them, Piett thought with a sinking feeling. Lord Vader was going to be very displeased.

"I said 'nearly', Admiral," Thrawn said once the report finished, glancing back over at Piett with a faint ghost of a smile. "Not 'completely'. Observe." He gestured Piett closer, and the admiral examined the sensor display the senior officer indicated.

It was a camera recording taken by the _Avenger_ and automatically beamed to the flagship along with the rest of its reports every five minutes. As Piett watched, the _Millennium Falcon_ swooped over the edge of the Star Destroyer from underneath, headed straight up, and then paused for a moment.

"What's he doing?" Piett said as he peered closer at the footage. "It almost looks like he might have went to lightspeed just then, but he didn't. Was it the Interdictor?"

"No," Thrawn replied. "The Interdictor is back with the rest of the fleet at the Rebel base, ensuring no one else escapes. We are out of range, and so was Solo when this was taken." Before Piett could ask, he explained. "Something is wrong with the _Millennium Falcon_'s hyperdrive," Thrawn said, indicating the rest of the recording. "Immediately after this pause, he abruptly shifted direction and headed directly for the asteroid field, no doubt attempting to lose us there while he effects repairs."

The Grand Admiral's eyes glittered briefly as a hint of a smile played over his face. "Solo is hiding from us, Admiral, but he cannot do so forever. His ship is damaged, and he may not be able to repair it with what he has aboard. He will have to seek shelter somewhere." He turned to one of the officers down in the crew pits. "Get me a list of all nearby inhabited systems," he ordered. "Particularly ones not patrolled by Imperial forces."

Piett blinked, amazed at the speed of Thrawn's deductions; they had only lost the _Millennium Falcon_ a few minutes ago.

"A good commander is always prepared, Admiral," Thrawn said in response to Piett's surprise. "I would prefer to catch Solo here, but we must attempt to predict his next move, should he manage to evade us."

Piett smiled tightly to himself. This was why he much preferred working with Thrawn to that idiot Ozzel; Thrawn was not so arrogantly assured of his own superiority that he discounted any possibility of intelligence among his enemies, and included possible setbacks in his strategy.

"The _Avenger_ reports still no sign of the Rebel ship," the comm officer announced.

"Yes, Solo is hiding," Thrawn said to Piett. "He will stay wherever he is for a few minutes at least, possibly several hours, depending on the extent of his repairs." He turned to the comm officer. "Tell Captain Needa to dispatch his bombers to the largest asteroids along Solo's last known trajectory. He's likely in a cave or deep crevice somewhere, so we'll have to flush him out."

Thrawn paused for a moment, then turned to the comm officer again. "Order the _Relentless_ and the _Judicator_ to head up, above the asteroid field, where they might have a better vantage point. I want the best spots for a hyperspace jump covered, so that Solo will have to fight his way out."

"Here is that list you asked for, sir," a crewman said as he approached, and handed a datapad to the Grand Admiral. Piett looked over his shoulder as Thrawn scrolled down the list of nearby systems, a thoughtful expression on his face.

"Ship approaching," a sensor officer reported. "_Firespray_-class patrol vessel, ID broadcasting as _Slave I_, registered to-"

"Boba Fett," Thrawn finished for him, looking up from the datapad at Piett with a slight frown. Piett agreed; what was a bounty hunter doing out here?

"Hunter Fett requests permission to board," a comm officer reported. "He says Lord Vader requested him."

Moments later, three more bounty hunters showed up, broadcasting similar reports.

"It appears the Emperor has summoned a bit of outside assistance," Thrawn said, appearing mildly annoyed.

Piett was more than mildly annoyed; he was irritated. "Bounty hunters," he scoffed. "We don't need their scum."

"One should hope so," Thrawn replied. "But, you can never be too prepared."

* * *

-/\\-


	17. II,4: This Ground Sure Feels Strange

-/\\-

* * *

**Four**  
("This Ground Sure Feels Strange")

Mara Jade sat in the main hold of the _Millennium Falcon_, listening to the distant, low-pitched thumps as the Imperial TIE bombers above dropped bombs at random into the crevices of the asteroid they were hiding in, trying to flush them out.

For the first time in a long while, Mara lowered her mental shields and stretched out into the Force; with Luke spending so much time around her, and growing more powerful and more skilled all the time, it was getting harder and harder to hide her talents from him. He'd remarked two or three times over the years that he thought she might have Force affinity, which meant he'd sensed her anyway despite her best efforts.

But here, in the heart of the asteroid field, with Skywalker long gone, there was no one around to sense her but her master, whom she knew was somewhere nearby. If she could alert him through the Force, he could find some way of taking the _Millennium Falcon_ intact, without spooking Solo into doing something even more reckless.

Mara closed her eyes and systematically tuned out the various noises around her in the smuggling vessel, from Solo and the Wookiee deep in the hold swearing at their ship and occasionally at each other, to the protocol droid clanking around as he did his best to help but mostly just got in the way.

As Mara extended herself into the Force, she was immediately startled to recognize another Force-sensitive presence, and very close by, as well.

Who in the galaxy was on this ship that could touch the Force besides her?

Cautiously, Mara opened her eyes and focused on the other presence, which was faint, almost… weak - but that wasn't the right word for it. It felt quite a lot like Luke, but different somehow, without the sense of simmering, tightly controlled power that was so similar to his father. Whoever it was, they might not know about their own power, Mara thought as she focused further.

That made sense; if the Rebellion had another Jedi besides Luke, she would have known about it by now. But who was it? Han, maybe? Solo did have an almost unnatural good luck about him, which could conceivably be him unconsciously exerting the Force to work situations to his advantage.

Mara quested after Han's presence, focusing on him, but after a few moments frowned, crossing him off her list. No, Han was a bright spot in the Force, but nowhere near as bright as a Force-sensitive.

Mara got up, crossing the hold as she tightened her perceptions around the Force-sensitive; she still wasn't sure who it was, as she had never used the Force around the other Rebels enough to get a sense of how they looked through higher senses.

She took a slow step in the direction of the Force-sensitive, trying not to let the other know she was here; the last thing she wanted was for the Rebels, especially the ones on this ship, to know that she was Force-sensitive as well.

Mara reached the passage leading up to the cockpit, sensing that the Force-sensitive was there, opened the door…

And came face-to-face with Leia, whose face bore an expression of both puzzlement and suspicion, like something was bothering her but she did not know what. Most telling, she was not at all startled at seeing Mara there, like she had somehow known she was on the other side of the door.

Very careful not to let anything show on her face, Mara instead adopted a quizzical expression. "What is it, Leia?" she asked, keeping her tone light.

Leia's thoughtful expression deepened, and Mara distinctly felt the other Force presence swivel in her direction, as if looking but being extremely obvious about it, without skill or even a hint of training. Mara quickly made herself small in the Force, withdrawing from the questing presence, and she felt it move on.

"I don't know," Leia replied distractedly. "I… I felt something."

"Like what?" Mara asked, raising her eyebrows questioningly, her tone still light and mildly curious. The Force-sensitive was Organa, all right, though she was surprised at this. How had no one sensed this before? Organa had spent time around many Sith, including Vader himself. If anyone should have recognized the Alderaanian princess was Force-sensitive, it was the Emperor.

Mara gestured upwards, keeping her expression mild. "The Imperials are dropping bombs, looking for us," she said. "They're shaking the whole asteroid."

"No," Leia said, still distractedly puzzled. "It was something else. I can't quite explain it. It was like nothing I've ever felt before, and I don't really know how to describe it."

"Huh," Mara said, doing as best she could to give the impression of puzzlement and slight disbelief, as if she didn't understand what Leia was talking about.

Leia shook her head. "It's nothing," she said. "Must be nerves."

"Battle tends to do that to you," Mara agreed, still carefully avoiding what she was now sure was an unconscious probe of the Force by Organa; the fact that Leia didn't know she was doing it made it all the more dangerous, as she would likely interpret anything she sensed from Mara as a suspicious hunch, like most untrained Force-sensitives did. She certainly didn't need any of the Rebels suspicious of her.

"I'd better go see if Han needs any help," Leia said, giving Mara one last puzzled look before she moved off.

Mara nodded acknowledgment, watching the princess for a moment as she left. This was both good and bad; good, because Lord Vader was always looking for new recruits, and despite Leia's political leanings, it was certainly possible he'd be able to turn her to his view of the Force, but bad because this meant Mara would have to be extra careful about use of the Force around Organa. And also because she had come to think of Leia as somewhat of a friend, and she knew what she would become under the instruction of the Sith.

The fact that this bothered her once again raised her persistent internal debate, which never failed to leave Mara in a bad mood after a few minutes of thinking about it.

Frowning angrily to herself, Mara went off to the back of the starship to find something to take her mind off that particular train of thought.

* * *

Luke frowned to himself as he looked down at the mottled green-and-brown sphere of the planet Dagobah beneath him, swirling with heavy clouds and mists.

"I'm not picking up any cities or technology," he remarked to R2-D2. "Massive life-form readings, though." He paused for a moment. "There's _something_ alive down there, at least."

Artoo burbled a nervous comment.

"Yes, I'm sure it's perfectly safe for droids," Luke said, fighting the urge to sigh. Both he and Threepio were like that sometimes. It was somewhat annoying, but also a bit amusing as well. "All right," he said finally. "Let's see what's down there."

He angled his small fighter down and swooped through the clouds, half depending on the Force to guide his hand. Even just one planet was still a big place for a Jedi Master to hide, especially if he was trying not to be found.

But then, as soon as Luke's X-wing was through the atmosphere, all his systems went dead. Artoo screeched in electronic panic, whistling furiously. Luke fought to keep calm himself, though inwardly he felt just as nervous.

"I can't see a thing!" he exclaimed, straining to see past the thick mist surrounding his vessel. His sensors were no help; the fighter was no longer moving under its own power, and he might as well have been riding a flying rock for all the good his equipment was doing him.

Slowly, the mists cleared, revealing mile after mile of thick, murky swamp, filled with dozens of living creatures he could both see and feel through the Force. No wonder Yoda had chosen this planet for his exile; it was hard to differentiate one creature from another through all the chaos out there.

After perhaps fifteen minutes of flight, Luke's X-wing abruptly turned itself back on long enough to initiate the landing cycle. Nothing he did to the controls affected them in any way, so Luke was still forced to just sit back and wait.

When the fighter finally settled, Luke popped the canopy and clambered out, one hand on his weapons as he looked around through the oppressively muggy swamp. His attention was drawn to the front of the X-wing by the Force, and Luke looked over in that direction.

Standing there, a few meters in front of the fighter's nose, was a short, green-skinned being with long pointed ears, dressed in tan and brown robes. He leaned on a walking stick, his expression passive as he looked directly at Luke, his gaze both penetrating and welcoming.

Obi-Wan had once described the other Jedi Master present at Luke's birth, and so the young Jedi immediately recognized the alien.

"A long time have I waited for you," Master Yoda said gravely. He took a slow step forward, gesturing at Luke with his walking stick. "Much there is for you to learn, young Skywalker."

* * *

Princess Leia was about to head to the rear of the _Millennium Falcon_ when its captain passed her, walking quickly up to the cockpit. Chewbacca followed him, growling something at Han in his language to which the Corellian responded with, "Well, there's gotta be a problem _somewhere_, Chewie! Hyperdrives don't fail just 'cause they feel like it."

Mara passed through on her way to the forward section, a box of tools in her hand. "On this ship, they do," she quipped.

Han fixed her with a look halfway between amusement and annoyance as he headed into the cockpit. Chewbacca followed, growling and barking more concerned-sounding statements.

Threepio and Winter were both in the cockpit, the young woman looking over the instruments while the droid chattered along about something or other that had once happened in the Alderaanian Royal Court. Leia half-smiled to herself as Winter politely nodded in the appropriate places when the protocol droid paused; she probably remembered the event better than he did.

"Anything?" Han asked Winter as he leaned over the pilot's half of the console, looking at the monitors.

"The diagnostic programs aren't telling me anything about the hyperdrive," she replied calmly, looking up at him. She brushed a lock of pure white hair away from her face. "Your ship has a very… unique way of monitoring its own systems."

Chewbacca snorted ironically, growling something along the lines of,_ There's an understatement_.

Spotting a flicker of movement outside, Leia moved toward the cockpit viewport to get a better look, brushing past Han as he moved to look over Winter's shoulder at her monitors.

The ship shuddered slightly, shaking it just enough to make everyone sway where they were standing.

"It's quite possible this asteroid is not entirely stable," Threepio observed, peering nervously out of the cockpit viewport.

"Not entirely stable, huh?" Han said sarcastically. "Well, I'm glad you're here to tell us these things." He gestured sharply over his shoulder, looking over at his copilot. "Chewie, take the professor in the back and plug him into the hyperdrive."

"I'm only trying to do my job," Threepio said, sounding hurt as Chewbacca ushered him off through the ship. "Sometimes I just don't understand human behavior."

Almost immediately after the door closed, the whole ship lurched violently, knocking Leia off-balance. She fell into Han, and both of them toppled into the chair behind the pilot's. Han tightened his hold around her until the shaking subsided, and for a few moments afterward as well.

"Let go," Leia said, feeling a tinge of embarrassment. She noticed despite herself that Han's arms were very strong; she could feel his muscles even through his sleeves. She shifted a bit, flushing.

Han did not move except to hold up one finger, looking up at the dim cavern outside through the viewport with a concerned, thoughtful expression on his face.

"Let go!" Leia said again, even more embarrassed now.

"Don't get excited!" he said, his face close enough that she could feel his breath on her neck.

"Captain, being held by you isn't quite enough to get me excited," Leia snapped, hoping he couldn't see her blushing.

"All right," Han said as he stood up, easily lifting her to her feet in the same motion. He turned back and grinned salaciously. "We haven't got time for anything else."

Leia blushed an even deeper shade of red, and Han laughed to himself as he left the cockpit. She turned away, fuming, and glared at Winter as she noticed the barest hint of a smile quickly leave her friend's face.

Winter gave her an innocent look. "What?" she said, a tiny, almost undetectable amount of teasing in both her question and expression.

Leia sighed angrily and stormed out of the cockpit, thinking all sorts of unfriendly things.

* * *

"Master Yoda," Luke said, trying to sound respectful through his awe. Obi-Wan had told him much about the fallen Jedi Order's Grand Master, one of those few who survived the great purge.

"Come to learn, you have," Yoda said, moving forward slowly, leaning heavily on his walking stick. "Obi-Wan taught you much, but much more do you still not know."

Luke frowned in puzzlement; Ben had told him not long before they left Tatooine that Luke was nearing the end of his training, that he would soon be a Jedi Knight in his own right.

"Know how to control the Force, you do," said Yoda, looking up at him with penetrating, seemingly all-knowing eyes. "But a Jedi you are not. Not yet."

"What do you mean, Master?" Luke asked, shifting as he adjusted his flight suit. His lightsaber bumped against his leg with the motion, and as was his usual habit, Luke brought one hand up to rest on his belt just above the pommel.

Yoda strode forward and poked Luke in the chest with the end of his walking stick, frowning. "Much anger I sense in you. Much like Vader."

Luke fought to control his instinctive flare of rage at being compared to the monster who had once been his father. Despite himself, he knew a glare formed on his face.

Yoda nodded, disappointment in his eyes. "Yes, much like your father you are," he said quietly. "Too much perhaps." He looked off into the swamp, his long ears twitching slightly. "Control himself, he could not, and Vader he became."

The diminutive Jedi Master turned suddenly and jabbed Luke in the chest with his stick again, hard enough to make the young man move back a step. "On his path, you are," Yoda said gravely. "Repeat his mistakes, you will, if control yourself, you do not."

Luke was shocked; he'd tried his entire life not to be anything like his father. He was so ashamed and angry at all the things Anakin Skywalker had done that he had long ago resolved to himself to make sure he turned out nothing like him.

Yoda peered up at him, his ancient eyes sharpening. "Hate him, do you?"

Luke tried to say he didn't, but he knew it would be a lie. Instead he said nothing, breaking eye contact to look back at his ship. Artoo whistled at him from his perch behind the cockpit, letting him know he wanted down.

"A Jedi does not hate," Yoda said. "A Jedi, you will not be until you let go of your hate."

Luke sighed as he looked back at the ancient Jedi Master. This was not at all the welcome he had been expecting.

"Much has he done that deserves anger," Yoda conceded, "but let it rule you, you must not. The Dark Side lies that way, and into it you will fall, just as your father did. Intend to turn, he did not, but let his emotions control him, he did, and a murderer he became."

Luke nodded slowly; Obi-Wan had said as much to him many times, warning of the dangers of the Dark Side.

Yoda abruptly turned around. "Come," he said over his shoulder. "Rain, it soon will. Inside, we must go."

Luke used the Force to lower Artoo to the ground, and after retrieving his pack, he set off through the swamp after his new teacher.

As he walked along, shifting to avoid hanging vines, - one of which turned out to be a snake - Luke thought about what Yoda had said. Was he really acting just like his father had before his fall?

He knew, as Obi-Wan had explained, that Anakin's initial explorations of the Dark Side had been strictly in the interest of finding a way to save Luke's mother, but once he was caught, he was quickly overwhelmed. The power the Dark Side offered was too tempting, and so Anakin threw himself into it, committing horrific atrocities he would have never even considered the week before.

_Am I truly on the same path?_ Luke thought. Could he be tempted the same way? What if he knew something terrible was about to happen to someone he cared about, someone he loved? Would he be willing to do anything to prevent it from happening?

"Such thoughts plague many Jedi," Yoda said suddenly, startling Luke. He stopped and turned around to look up at the young man. "For this reason the old order forbade emotional attachments, so such a situation they would prevent."

Something came over the old Jedi Master then, a deep sort of sadness quite like the one Luke had sometimes observed in Obi-Wan. "A mistake it was, perhaps, to force Anakin into this belief." He turned away, resuming his shuffling pace through the swamp. "Already when he came to us, powerful feelings Anakin had," Yoda said as they walked. "Purge all emotion, he could not."

"We might as well have been asking him to change the color of his eyes by will alone," a very familiar voice said. "He was simply unable to do it."

Luke looked up, surprised, as Obi-Wan appeared in front of them, looking much the same as he had the last time Luke had seen him in the Royal Palace on Alderaan, but he was noticeably transparent, a subtle blue aura surrounding him as it had on Hoth.

Artoo whistled to himself behind them as he navigated his way around a thick tangle of roots, apparently taking no notice of the sudden appearance of Luke's old teacher.

"Ben!" Luke said excitedly, taking a step forward. He stifled a yelp as Yoda rapped him across the shins with his walking stick, meeting his eyes with a sharp expression. Then he remembered the direction the conversation had been taking and he fell silent, returning his attention to the two Jedi Masters.

"Yoda is right, Luke," Obi-Wan said, meeting the young man's eyes. "You are very much like your father. You feel emotion very strongly, but as difficult as it may be, you must learn to control your feelings if you do not want to repeat your father's errors."

Luke sighed. "I know." It was true; he'd always had difficulty controlling his feelings, though he thought he had been making progress. Not enough progress, apparently, from Yoda's viewpoint.

Yoda gestured off into the distance. "Come then. Much work there is to be done."

Hitching his pack up higher on his back, Luke followed, occasionally glancing up at Obi-Wan, who moved with them, though his insubstantial feet did not disturb the ground. He might as well have been a hologram, though Luke knew this was not the case. He saved his questions for a more appropriate time, though.

Could he do it, he wondered. Could he learn to control himself? He tried to fight off anger whenever he fought in battles, but it was quick to join him, and difficult to shake off afterwards. He despaired at being able to overcome this, but he knew he had to.

If he did not…

* * *

Darth Vader stood at the rear of the bridge of his flagship, surrounded by a semicircle of half-size holograms representing the commanders of the Star Destroyers in his fleet. He kept his expression passive, though he very much felt like scowling darkly at them; the _Millennium Falcon_ continued to elude pursuit, and none of them knew its exact position at the moment.

"_That was the last time they appeared on any of our scopes," _said Captain Needa aboard the _Avenger_. "_Considering the amount of damage we've sustained_, _they must have been destroyed._"

"No, Captain," Vader said with strained patience, "they're alive. I want every ship available to sweep the asteroid field until they are found." He well knew the capabilities of the _Millennium Falcon_ and its pilot, and there was no question as to whether Solo had survived his wild race into the dense field.

He gestured, and the holograms abruptly disappeared even before the commanders could finish bowing in acknowledgment.

The junior comm officer quietly approached, and from the way he blanched when Vader turned around, the Sith Master knew he was scowling more fiercely than he'd intended.

"What is it?" he forced himself to ask calmly.

"Signal from Darth Nova, my lord," the young man said. "He requests permission to speak to you."

"Granted," Vader said, already moving off the bridge. "Send it to my quarters."

A short turbolift ride and a quick walk later, Vader strode into his quarters and used the Force to activate the comm. A life-sized bluish-tinged hologram of his apprentice appeared, on one knee with his head bowed.

"Rise and report," Vader said, stopping in front of the hologram with his arms crossed over his chest. "Do you have Skywalker?"

Darth Nova paused, but only slightly. "_I do not, my Master_," he said, making it clear from his tone he wished to explain before Vader reacted further.

"Why?" Vader said darkly, imbuing that single word with both threat and anger.

"_I tracked him to a system my computer identified as Dagobah,_" Nova said, unflinchingly meeting his master's darkly glaring gaze. "_I am not familiar with the place, and I wondered what Skywalker was doing there. I attempted to follow him, but I was prevented._"

"Prevented? How?" Vader relaxed his glare, just a little.

Nova's expression was grave. "_Through the Force, my Master._"

Vader's eyes narrowed. "Explain."

"_When I attempted to follow Skywalker down toward the planet, all the systems in my ship abruptly shut down_," Nova said, his eyes following Vader as the Sith Master moved to stand in front of the wide viewport along one wall of his quarters. "_I then sensed an extremely powerful presence at work; it was difficult, for something interferes with my perceptions on the planet below, but there is definitely another Jedi besides Skywalker on the planet's surface._"

Nova scowled darkly. "_It took me several hours to find what the Jedi did to my ship to disable it, and I have just now restored power to my engines and thrusters. Shall I land and dispatch the Jedi?_"

Vader remained silent for a long moment. Who else could have survived the Purge? Who could Luke be with? It was certainly one of the more powerful masters of the old order, from Nova's description, but he'd thought them all destroyed.

One, however, was still unaccounted for. One who would have the power to do something like this.

One whom even he would not wish to engage in battle, for even his great power might not match up to the experience garnered from nearly a millennium of life. He could do it, Vader thought, but the battle would not be an easy one. Even Darth Nova, he who snuffed the life from a pair of stars, would have a hard fight, if he could even win at all. Luke would no doubt attempt to aid the Jedi Master, and likely end up injured or killed in the process.

"No," Vader said finally, turning to face his apprentice. "Remain in the system, and track Skywalker if he attempts to leave. Alert me if this happens."

Nova bowed his head. _"I obey, my Master_."

Vader nodded in acknowledgment, then cut the connection.

This complicated things. He could go to Dagobah himself, he knew, and forcibly remove Luke from the Jedi Master's influence, but such an action would only deepen his son's apparent hatred for him. Luke would resent it, even after it was explained to him what Vader's motives were, why he pursued the course he did.

Further, the pursuit of the _Millennium Falcon_ demanded his attention; someone aboard that ship could touch the Force, and of the possible candidates he had observed in the hangar on Hoth, he was not sure which one it was. Thus, it was imperative he capture the smuggler's vessel intact.

Vader keyed his comm to hangar control. "This is Lord Vader," he told the officer on duty. "Inform the bounty hunters that they are to meet on the bridge."

"_Yes, my lord,_" the deck officer replied, saluting before moving off to carry out his Emperor's instructions.

Vader opened the door of his quarters and moved off for the nearest turbolift.

* * *

Han handed a cable up to Chewbacca, who had wedged his hairy bulk into an overhead compartment, and the Wookiee growled his thanks. Next, Han heard a few thumps, scrapes, and an irritated grunt as the Wookiee reoriented himself in the compartment, going back to the system he was repairing.

Noticing Leia having some trouble with the valve she had been welding, Han moved past Threepio and into the smaller compartment, reaching past her to grab the stubborn valve.

She jerked away from him, shouldering him aside as she tried to do it herself.

"Hey, easy, Your Worship," Han said as he backed off a step. "I'm only trying to help."

"Would you please stop calling me that?" Leia said, grunting quietly in frustration as the valve still refused to give, making her skin her knuckle on the rough metal wall behind.

"Sure, Leia," Han said, leaning against the wall behind her.

"You make things so difficult sometimes," she said, looking down at her hand.

"I do. I really do," Han agreed, looking over at her. "You could be a little nicer though." He grinned. "Come on, admit it; sometimes you think I'm all right."

"Occasionally," Leia conceded, examining the scrape on her hand. "Sometimes, when you aren't acting like a scoundrel."

"Scoundrel?" Han laughed softly, finding her choice of words intriguing. "Scoundrel. I like the sound of that."

The sounds from outside faded, and Han looked in at Leia, seeing her standing there half-embarrassed, not quite meeting his eyes. It made her all the more beautiful, he thought, despite the smudges of dirt on her hands and face.

He reached for her hand and gently began to massage it. Leia was quiet for a moment, looking up at him, but finally she halfheartedly tried to pull free.

"Stop it," she protested.

"Stop what?" Han replied softly, continuing to hold her hand.

"Stop that!" she said again, though she stopped pulling. "My hands are dirty."

"My hands are dirty, too," Han said. "What are you afraid of?"

"Afraid?" Leia said, looking up into his eyes. There was something there, he knew, something of the same spark he was feeling.

"You're trembling," Han said softly. At that, he reached out and took her other hand, gently pulling her closer. "I think you like me _because_ I'm a scoundrel," he said, his face now close to hers. "I think there aren't enough scoundrels in your life."

"I happen to like nice men," Leia said in soft protest. But she did not resist.

"I'm a nice man," said Han, leaning closer.

"No you're not, you're-"

He gently interrupted her by covering her lips with his own, wrapping one arm around her back. She was momentarily stiff beneath him, but after only a moment Leia melted into his embrace, returning the kiss as she put one arm around the back of his neck and shoulders.

The moment seemed to stretch on into forever, a peaceful kind of emotion flowing between them as they stood there in each other's arms, but all too soon it was interrupted.

"Sir! Sir!" Threepio said excitedly behind Han, tapping him on the shoulder with a metal hand.

Han reluctantly broke away to see what he wanted. "What?" he snapped over his shoulder, thinking of a variety of unpleasant things to do to the droid.

"I've isolated the reverse power flux coupling!" Threepio said brightly, far too cheerful.

The moment was over. Leia quietly pulled away and retreated down the corridor, moving with the speed of embarrassment. Han silently watched her go for a moment before rounding on the droid.

"Great," he said, glaring at Threepio. "Thank you _very_ much."

"You're welcome, sir," the droid replied, oblivious.

From the overhead compartment, Chewbacca grinned upside-down, showing his teeth in a teasing smile.

"What are you looking at?" Han growled, feeling embarrassed himself. Before Chewbacca could say anything, he grabbed his tools and went off to get back to work.

* * *

Some time later, Mara's attention was attracted by a startled shout from the _Millennium Falcon_'s cockpit, and she immediately went up to see what it was.

But she didn't have to go far; Leia rushed out of the passage past her, heading for the hold. "There's something out there!" she announced breathlessly.

Han looked over at her from where he was crouched, setting a floor panel in place. "What is it?" he said concernedly, one hand reflexively on his blaster.

Mara noticed something in the way he looked at Leia. It was quick, but there was something there, something the princess returned, though she tried not to. It reminded Mara an awful lot of the way Luke looked at her most of the time, and also of the way she-

She firmly clamped down on that line of thought, roughly yanking her attention back to the conversation.

"Something outside," Leia said. "In the cave." She waved an arm off behind her.

Almost before she finished speaking, there was a loud banging noise, followed by rustling and a screech.

"It sounds like it's trying to get in," Threepio observed nervously.

Mara listened closely, trying to identify the noise. It didn't sound very big, but she knew creatures didn't need to be big to be deadly.

Han scowled at the noise, one hand on his blaster as he moved off at a brisk pace for the boarding ramp. "I'm going to see what it is," he announced.

"What?" Leia said, surprised. "Are you crazy? We don't know what's out there!"

Mara followed the two of them to the ramp, unsnapping the holster of the blaster at her side.

"I just got this bucket back together," Han said, snatching a breath mask off of a rack on the wall. "I ain't gonna let something tear it apart."

"Then I'm going with you," Leia said determinedly.

Han looked back at her for a moment, then nodded in acceptance and tossed her a breath mask. Mara held up a hand, and he lobbed her another.

"Come on, Chewie!" Han called off into the hold. The Wookiee bellowed back an answer, growling that he had seen something moving outside the ship, as well.

"I believe I will stay here," Threepio said, cringing as whatever it was thumped against the hull again. Mara smirked; he hardly needed to announce that. Frankly, it would have been unusual if he _had_ volunteered to come along.

As the ramp lowered, Han drew his blaster, looking around. Leia followed, her dark eyes roving over the misty cave beyond, and as she descended the ramp a few paces behind her, Mara checked the backup blaster hidden up her left sleeve, on the lookout. Anything that lived in a tunnel deep inside an asteroid was not something that deserved to hitch a ride back out.

Outside, with the bubble of the _Falcon_'s shields keeping enough atmosphere around the ship that they did not require spacesuits, Han stalked off, muttering to himself under his breath as he looked around.

Leia made a puzzled noise, and Mara looked over at her, brows lifting questioningly.

"This ground sure feels strange," the princess said, looking up at Mara. "It doesn't feel like rock."

She was right; the texture of the ground was unusually spongy, and there was far too much moisture in here for what should have been a vacuum.

With a flutter of wings, something interrupted Mara's reply as it launched itself past Leia's head, and she shouted in surprise. Mara quickly drew her sleeve blaster and fired two shots as the thing glided past. She hit it dead center between the wings with one, but the other _spang_-ed off the hull.

Han came running over, his own blaster at the ready, and Mara explained what it was as he approached. "Mynock."

"Yep," Han said, kicking the dead creature aside with the toe of his boot. "That's what I thought." He looked over at Leia. "Go on back inside. We'll see if there are any more out here, chewing on the power cables."

Behind them, Chewbacca barked and fired three shots from his bowcaster. Two more mynocks dropped from the hull, but his third shot hit the rocky wall of the cave.

Seemingly in response, the whole cave suddenly lurched, nearly knocking Mara to the ground. She grabbed hold of the _Falcon_'s landing gear nearby, reaching out one arm to steady Leia next to her. Han grabbed the princess' other arm, the hand holding his blaster pressed against the underside of his ship.

Once the sudden quake subsided, Mara noticed Han frowning thoughtfully behind his breath mask. Slowly, he lowered his blaster to point at the cave floor, and before Mara could ask him what he was thinking, he fired a shot into the ground.

Definitely in response this time, the entire cavern shook even more violently than before. Unlike before, it did not stop, the whole floor seeming to bounce up and down, taking them with it.

Mara stumbled for the ramp, putting away her blaster as Chewbacca charged past her, howling too fast for her to understand as the giant Wookiee barreled inside. Han pushed past her a moment later, moving as quickly as he could over the shaking of the ground.

Han slapped the ramp control as Mara helped Leia aboard, yanking off his breath mask as he sprinted for the cockpit. "Fire her up, Chewie!" he shouted ahead. "We're getting out of here!"

"What are you doing?" Leia demanded, trying to follow.

"No time to discuss this in committee," Han tossed over his shoulder, lurching for the cockpit over the rolling motion of the cave.

"I am _not_ a committee!" Leia replied indignantly, even as another jolt threw her into the corridor wall.

Mara stumbled again, but was able to keep her balance, and pulled Leia along as they followed Han into the cockpit.

Inside, Chewbacca was already starting the ship's engines, but even as the _Falcon_'s sublight drive rumbled to life, the tremors trailed off.

"The Empire is still out there!" Leia said, gesturing between the Corellian and his copilot as the two of them madly flipped switches and adjusted levers.

"Sit down, sweetheart, we're taking off!" Han snapped, gunning the engines.

Mara allowed herself to fall backward into the seat behind Chewbacca, then quickly buckled her crash webbing. Beside her, Leia did the same in the navigator's chair.

"_What's going on?_" Winter's voice asked over the intership comm. Despite the situation, Mara noted, Leia's aide was as calm as ever, a certainly enviable trait. Mara felt anything but calm herself. Something very strange was going on here.

"We're leaving, that's what!" Han said grimly, tightening his hands around the controls.

Chewbacca howled a warning, gesturing with a long, furry arm outside. At the end of the tunnel, a long row of stalactites had appeared, joined on the other side by a row of equally long and jagged while stalagmites. Slowly, the stalactites were lowering.

"I see 'em," Han said tersely, accelerating.

"The cave is collapsing!" Leia exclaimed.

"This is no cave," said Han, his knuckles white as he pushed his ship for all it was worth.

"What?-" Leia began, but she stopped as they passed the huge rock formations, smooth and oddly shaped.

They weren't rock formations at all, Mara suddenly realized; they were teeth!

Han's shoulders tensed as he leaned forward, silently willing more speed from his ship as the giant mouth continued to close. Mara gripped the arms of her chair, willing more speed from the freighter herself. She could plainly feel Leia's horror through the Force, and even despite the situation, she hoped Leia did not feel or could not interpret her own.

Han leaned sideways as he banked, tipping the _Falcon_ on its side as he soared through the rows of enormous teeth, passing within meters of being crushed between them.

Once outside the mouth, Han gunned the engines again, eliciting a whine of protest deep within the bowels of the ship. Mara looked out of the viewport as they screamed out into open space, and behind them, the giant mouth was following. But the _Falcon_ was simply too fast, and the gigantic space slug could not catch them.

Mara grabbed the arms of her chair to hold on as something jolted them. She looked up to see a small asteroid flipping end over end away from them, having been deflected by the newly repaired shields.

"Out of the belly of one beast…" Mara said, pointing past Han and Chewbacca to the gigantic white hulk of an Imperial Star Destroyer not far away through the blizzard of drifting rock, "and right into another's."

Han sighed deeply, and Mara felt a pang of sympathy for him. His day was _really_ not going well.

Depending on whether or not she acted on the plan forming in the back of her mind, it just might get a lot worse.

* * *

-/\\-


	18. II,5: No Disintegrations

-/\\-

* * *

**Five**  
(No Disintegrations)

Admiral Piett made no attempt to hide his disdain at the motley assortment of creatures gathered on the bridge of the _Executor_. The pursuit was going fairly well so far, especially with Grand Admiral Thrawn's organization, and he saw no need to bring bounty hunters into it.

Humans, aliens, cyborgs, droids, and one thing he wasn't quite sure of stood along the command walkway, listening to Lord Vader's briefing. The Sith Master was currently describing the _Millennium Falcon_'s capabilities and what he knew of its pilot. From the sneers he saw on a few faces, Piett could tell that some of the hunters had encountered Solo before.

"Priority signal from the _Avenger_," the senior comm officer said to Piett as Lord Vader finished his instructions. Piett was able to listen at the same time as he listened to everything else happening on his bridge, a very useful trait for a warship commander.

"There will be a substantial reward for the one who finds the _Millennium Falcon_," Lord Vader was saying as he paced in front of the group of bounty hunters. "You are free to use any methods necessary, but I want them alive." Vader pointedly stopped in front of Boba Fett as he finished and raised a warning finger. "_No_ disintegrations," he said emphatically.

"As you wish," Fett said, his expression unreadable behind the T-slit of his Mandalorian helmet. Piett thought he sounded almost disappointed.

And well he should be; Piett's military discipline was all that kept him from grinning as he rushed to Lord Vader's side to deliver the message from the _Avenger_.

"My lord," he said excitedly, "we have them!"

* * *

"We're nearing the edge of the field, Captain," C-3PO said from his seat at the navigator's station.

"Good," said Han, gritting his teeth as the Star Destroyer breathing down his neck pelted his ship with laser fire again. "As soon as we're out, we're going right into lightspeed."

Above, in the dorsal turret, Mara Jade spat fire back at the TIE fighters howling after them, as Winter did the same from the ventral, both women rapidly picking off their pursuers with deadly-accurate fire.

Chewbacca growled with relief as they finally left the asteroid field behind…

Just in time to get hammered from above by _another_ Star Destroyer that had been waiting at the edge of the field.

Han shouted a blistering Corellian oath at the other Imperial ship, wildly twisting his ship to avoid the new pattern of fire. "Where did he come from?" he snarled, having no choice but to go 'down' relative to the Imperial ships. He certainly wasn't going back into the asteroid field now!

"The jump ready?" he said to Chewie, who growled in the affirmative. "Finally!" Han exclaimed in relief. "Let's get out of here!"

Triumphantly, Han threw the hyperspace lever…

And nothing happened. Again.

Han tried a second time.

Still nothing.

"This just isn't fair!" he despaired.

Chewbacca rarely lost his temper with his friend, but now he bellowed angrily at Han, demanding to know what was going on.

"It's not my fault!" Han objected.

"Still no lightspeed?" said Leia, as if she had been expecting this.

"It's not my fault!" Han said again, desperate. Laser fire flashed past as the two Star Destroyers tracked the momentarily stationary _Falcon_, and Han had to start maneuvering again, his thoughts whirling.

What could they do now?

The _Falcon_ bucked as one of the Imperial ships landed a direct hit, and sparks flew out of a panel above Han. "There go the rear deflector shields," he observed, gritting his teeth at another nausea-inducing series of maneuvers.

"One more hit on the back quarter and we're done for!" Threepio wailed.

An idea sparked in Han's mind. "Chewie, throw all power to the front shield," he said as he sharply turned the _Falcon_ around.

Leia's eyes widened in horror as she realized what he was doing. "You're going to _attack_ them?" she said incredulously.

Han had no time for explanations; every fiber of his being was devoted to dodging the firestorm _Avenger_ was throwing his way. He kept one eye on the other Star Destroyer above them, hoping the angle was right for this to work.

"Sir!" Threepio protested, "the odds of surviving a direct assault on an Imperial Star Destroyer are-"

Both Leia and Chewbacca shouted for the droid to shut up as Han swooped ever closer to the _Avenger_, heading right for the command tower.

No one on Han's tiny ship had any idea of what he was doing but him. Most of them fervently hoped that their captain hadn't finally snapped and gone crazy under the pressure, because that was certainly what it looked like.

* * *

On _Avenger_'s bridge, Captain Needa watched in fascinated horror as the _Millennium Falcon_ came right at him.

"He's coming in too low!" one of the other officers shouted, a note of terror in his voice.

"Full deflectors!" Needa ordered. A ship like that wouldn't do much damage if it impacted the hull, but if it hit the bridge viewports, Solo's suicidal charge would take his pursuers with him.

"He's going to hit!" the first officer yelled, pointing at the incoming freighter.

Captain Needa and the other officers reflexively dropped to the deck, not that it would do much good, but…

Instead of the fiery explosion he had been expecting, Needa heard… nothing.

He looked up just in time to see the _Millennium Falcon_ veer up sharply at the last second, soaring right over the bridge instead of through it.

"Track them!" he ordered as he got to his feet. "They may come around for another pass."

"Captain Needa, the ship no longer appears on any of our scopes!" the sensor officer reported.

"Impossible!" Needa growled, moving over to look at the monitors for himself. "No ship that small could have a cloaking device."

"Perhaps he went to lightspeed at the last second," the first officer offered.

"Why did he attack, then?" Needa snapped. "He could have went into hyperspace when they cleared the field."

"Well, there's no trace of them, sir," the sensor officer said.

"Lord Vader demands an update on the pursuit," the comm officer said suddenly, looking over at them.

Needa sighed; losing the _Millennium Falcon_ when they were this close was an unforgivable error in Lord Vader's view. He could expect termination at the least, and likely a very unpleasant injury besides. Lord Vader despised incompetence above all else, and might even execute him for this, depending on how angry he was. Needa had heard the stories of what had happened to Ozzel.

"Ready my shuttle," he said to one of his aides. "I shall assume full responsibility for this, and apologize to Lord Vader." Grimly, he looked over his bridge for what was likely the last time. "Meanwhile, continue to scan the field."

It was a very long walk down to the shuttle bay.

* * *

Admiral Piett kept himself from wincing as Captain Needa entered the bridge of the _Executor_. He'd been present when Ozzel had bumbled the attack at Yavin, and he fully expected the _Avenger_'s captain to receive similar treatment now.

Lord Vader was waiting for him, perched in the center of the command walkway like a great black bird of prey, his disconcerting eyes fixed penetratingly on Needa as the other man approached.

Piett watched in morbid fascination as Needa stopped a short distance in front of the Emperor and bowed respectfully, swallowing nervously.

Grand Admiral Thrawn ascended the stairs of the starboard crew pit, where he had been reviewing the _Avenger_'s sensor logs of the incident, and he quietly stopped next to Lord Vader, his white uniform standing out in stark contrast to the Sith Master's black clothing.

Lord Vader's eyes narrowed, and he seemed to be about to speak, when Thrawn spoke instead.

"Describe in detail what you saw, Captain," Thrawn said, his glowing red eyes fixed on the _Avenger_'s commander.

Piett saw Lord Vader's gaze flick to Thrawn momentarily, and the other responded with an infinitesimal nod. Lord Vader crossed his arms over his chest, but otherwise remained silent, settling instead for deepening his scowl.

"The _Millennium Falcon_ charged directly at the _Avenger_'s bridge, sir," Needa said, visibly attempting to control his nervousness. "He seemed about to ram us, but at the last moment, he veered sharply up and…" He swallowed again, clearly not wanting to say the next part. "Disappeared."

Thrawn's expression gave no hint as to what he was thinking, whether he was angry or not, but Lord Vader plainly was, the muscles in his jaw working as he glared down at the captain who had failed him.

"My first officer thinks he may have gone to lightspeed as soon as he cleared the tower," Needa added. "I agree with his assessment."

"He disappeared from the _Relentless_' sensors at the same time," Thrawn said, to both Vader and Needa. "They were unable to track a hyperspace vector."

"Recommendations?" Vader said to Thrawn, still glaring at Needa. His natural eye, Piett noted, was turning a very strange color, a mottled combination of blue and yellow. This was _not_ a good sign.

"As I said earlier, my lord," Thrawn said calmly, "we send a ship to each of the systems on the list I gave you. Solo is likely to seek a safe harbor in which to repair his ship, and there are only a few ports nearby not patrolled by our forces. Whatever repairs he made to his hyperdrive are temporary at best, so he will need a port with sophisticated facilities."

Thrawn took a half step forward, so that he was partly between Vader and Needa. "If I may, my lord," he said, "I would recommend against punishing the captain. From my analysis, there was nothing he could have done to prevent Solo's escape." He met Lord Vader's gaze meaningfully. "And," he added, "Solo will not evade us for long in any case."

There was some sort of hidden subtext in his words, but Piett could not decipher it himself. The Emperor apparently understood him, though, from the slight flash of recognition in his eyes.

Lord Vader remained silent for a further long, tense moment, but finally, Piett noted with relief, - and Needa even more so - he relaxed, and his eye remained its natural blue. "Very well, Admiral," he said to Thrawn, still looking at Needa. "Carry on."

He swept past Needa, the edge of his cloak slapping the captain's leg as he left the bridge. Needa flinched, stiffening until Vader's heavy footsteps faded away.

Thrawn took another step towards the _Avenger_'s captain, his expression grave. "I was able to spare you this time, Captain," he warned. "Next time, Lord Vader may not be so easily persuaded. I suggest you do everything in your power to make sure there is not a next time."

Needa saluted, not even trying to hide his gratitude and relief. "Yes, sir," he said. "Thank you, sir."

Thrawn nodded fractionally. "Return to your ship, Captain."

Needa bowed and hastily left the _Executor_'s bridge.

Thrawn noticed Piett looking at him and quietly approached. "Only genuine incompetence should be punished, Admiral," he said, looking out of the wide viewport. "Punishing a man for something he cannot control serves no useful purpose other than to create fear among your men. A good commander cultivates respect rather than fear." Thrawn leaned slightly closer to Piett to emphasize his final point. "Fear and respect are not the same thing, Admiral. Remember that."

"Yes, sir," Piett replied, nodding in agreement.

He watched Thrawn for a moment as the Grand Admiral returned to the starboard crew pit, feeling very proud to have a commander such as him. Had Thrawn not been present, Piett knew, Lord Vader very well might have killed Captain Needa. The Emperor was becoming increasingly volatile lately, and more and more unpredictable. Sometimes he would fly into a terrible rage over a failure, and sometimes he would simply let it go. It was impossible to predict which reaction he would have anymore, so everyone did the best they could to avoid failing their Emperor - as if they needed any further incentive.

The entire crew of the _Executor_ had been figuratively walking on eggshells for quite some time now, ever since Lord Vader's obsession with the Skywalker boy began. Again, Piett wondered just what was so important to the Emperor about Luke Skywalker, but as with all of the other times, he knew better than to ask.

The tension broken, Piett set about readying the _Executor_ to leave the Hoth system.

* * *

"Well, Solo," said Mara Jade, looking out of the _Millennium Falcon_'s cockpit, "if nothing else, you certainly have guts."

Han grinned, entirely too pleased with himself as he leaned back in his chair.

Mara shook her head in amusement, watching the fleet beyond continue their search. None of them, however, had any idea just how close they were to their prey.

The _Millennium Falcon_ was currently perched like an oversized mynock on the back of _Avenger_'s command tower, all systems shut down. They appeared to be nothing more than a lump on the tower, invisible except by close visual examination. Thus far, the Imperials proved unwilling to stoop to such tactics to find their quarry.

"This is entirely too risky," Threepio objected. "Surrender is a perfectly acceptable alternative in these circumstances and-"

He suddenly went silent as Princess Leia reached over and flipped the shutoff switch on the back of his neck.

"_Thank_ you," Mara and Han said in unison. Mara smiled slightly at the coincidence.

"Chewie, go back and stand by the manual release for the landing claw," Han said, looking up out of the viewport at the other Star Destroyers in the fleet.

The massive cobalt bulk of the _Executor_ hovered off in the distance like a crouching predator, seeming closer than it really was through its sheer size. Mara glanced at Leia, silently repeating to herself that the princess would sense it if she tried to contact her master through the Force.

So close, and yet so far away, as the saying went.

Yes, that was why she avoided giving them away. No other reason at all.

Mara was glad the others were too occupied with watching the fleet to see her frown.

Leia sat down in the chair Chewbacca had vacated. "So, what's your plan?"

"The fleet's beginning to break up," Han replied, gesturing up at the Star Destroyers overhead. "If they follow standard Imperial procedure, they'll empty their garbage before they go to lightspeed, and so we just… float away." He gestured as he spoke, making a sweeping motion with his hands.

"With the rest of the garbage," Leia finished, a hint of a smile quirking one corner of her mouth. Han fixed her with an amused look, one that was somehow fond at the same time. "Then what?" Leia asked.

"Then we have to find a safe port around here," Han replied, leaning forward to look at one of his monitors. He looked back at Mara. "Got any ideas?"

"Where are we?" she asked, leaning forward herself so that she could see.

"Near the Anoat system," Han replied, looking back at his monitor.

"Mmm, not much there," said Leia. "What else?"

Han was silent for a moment as he cycled through the computer readout, a thoughtful expression on his face. Finally, Mara saw a spark of recognition in his eyes, and he leaned back slightly.

"Here we go," he said. "Lando."

"Lando system?" Leia said, a bit confused.

"Lando's not a system, he's a man," Han clarified. "Lando Calrissian. Card player, con artist, scoundrel." He looked over at Leia with a grin. "You'd like him."

Mara noted Leia's wry smile, and knew there was something there she wasn't picking up on. She dismissed it, returning her attention to the conversation.

"He owns a Tibanna gas mine he won in a card game or something," Han continued. "Lando and I go way back; he'll help us."

"Do you trust him?" Mara asked. She could tell from Leia's expression that she had been about to ask the same thing.

"No, but he's got no great love for the Empire, I can tell you that," Han replied. He stared at the monitor for a moment, thinking. "Bespin," he said finally. "It's pretty far, but I think we can make it. It'll take us a while, though."

Before either Leia or Mara could respond, Han suddenly straightened, toggling the intercom. "Chewie, get ready."

Mara saw it, too; one of the other Star Destroyers had gone to lightspeed.

She watched carefully, noting the hatch yawning open below them, and Han saw it, also. "Okay, Chewie," he said. "Release."

Gently, the _Falcon_ disengaged from the _Avenger_'s hull and drifted down to join the stream of garbage flowing out of the hatch, completely unobtrusive.

Mara had to admit this was one of the Corellian's better plans. Not even Thrawn could have seen this coming. Well, maybe, Mara amended; you never knew with him.

"You have your moments," Leia said to Han as she stood up. "Not many of them, but you do have them." Leaning over, she gently kissed his cheek before she left the cockpit.

Han grinned as he watched her leave, then shifted his gaze to Mara, his grin becoming teasing. "You want the other one?" he said lightly, gesturing to his other cheek.

Mara smiled. "Sorry, Solo," she said as she got up, teasing him right back. "You're not my type."

He chuckled as she left.

* * *

Neither of them noted the small craft that had also hidden in the _Avenger_'s garbage, which activated its engines not long after the _Falcon_ did, orienting itself on the smuggling vessel's tail like a tracking hound.

In the cockpit of _Slave I_, Boba Fett silently tracked their vector, preparing to send it to Lord Vader.

* * *

"Nothing more will I teach you today."

Luke gratefully slumped onto a log in the Dagobah swamp, breathing heavily. Yoda had been drilling him mercilessly for the last few days, and he was more exhausted than he'd thought possible. But, at the same time, he was more in tune with the Force than ever before.

For instance, he knew something definitely unpleasant was uncomfortably nearby. Yoda had made no comment on the run here, perched on Luke's back as he occasionally dispensed instruction, but he could sense something from the diminutive Jedi Master, something that told him Yoda had brought him here with a purpose.

"The Dark Side you feel," Yoda said from his perch on another fallen tree-trunk. "That place is strong with the Dark Side of the Force."

He gestured to an evil-looking tree whose roots wrapped around the entrance to a cave. It was a great black twisted thing, unnatural and disturbing, in sharp contrast to the swamp around it.

Yoda leaned slightly forward, looking up at Luke with an unreadable expression. "In you must go."

Luke looked back at him incredulously; he could feel the evil radiating out of that cave, and Yoda wanted him to go inside?

"What's in there?" he asked, putting his jacket on after pulling it out of his pack.

"Only what you take with you," Yoda replied cryptically.

Luke frowned, puzzled. He reached into his pack and pulled out his weapons belt.

Yoda shook his head slightly. "Your weapons," he said, gesturing at Luke with his walking stick. "You will not need them."

Luke gave his teacher a disbelieving look; he knew _something_ was in there, and he was _not_ going in unarmed. He buckled on his belt anyway.

He made his way through the wet, misty swamp to the cave, where he eased his way inside, avoiding hanging vines and sharp tree roots. A small crawling lizard hissed at him as he entered, and he moved a half-step away as he looked around the small, damp cave from the entrance.

At first, he saw nothing but more hanging vines and moss, a general slimy feeling pervading the cold, cramped space.

Luke felt a strange twinge in the Force, even as it seemed the world around him took on oddly muted colors and somehow slowed down, as if he was underwater.

An ominous _snap-hiss_ sounded from in front of him, and Luke turned to see a meter-long beam of scarlet energy erupt out of a black hilt gripped in a gloved fist. The lightsaber illuminated its bearer, bathing him in blood-red light.

Darth Vader took a slow step forward, his lightsaber raising into a guard position as he narrowed his eyes in threat at his son. The glowing blue photoreceptor that had replaced his right eye cast a dim, eerie light over his face in the shadows, an odd counterpart to his shining crimson blade.

Luke ignited his own lightsaber, thoughts whirling as he tried to understand what was going on. But almost faster than he could react, Vader surged forward, swinging his lightsaber down in a powerful two-handed blow.

The young warrior leaped aside, bringing his own weapon up to counter. His father slashed again, mouth moving with words Luke could not hear, and spun to bring his weapon across in a wide slice.

But when the dark figure finished its turn, it was no longer Vader; it was instead _himself_ Luke saw, hair cut short and features sharp and pale. The grim duplicate was dressed the same as Vader had been, in a black Imperial uniform and long cloak, and his eyes were a disturbing shade of yellow.

The dark Luke swung wildly at him, and the young warrior backed away, trying to keep his lightsaber in his hands. His doppelganger sneered and threw out its hand. From its splayed fingers, multiple crackling bolts of purple-blue electricity lanced out and slammed Luke back against the wall.

His lightsaber rolled from his fingers, and Luke scrambled to retrieve it, but the dark Luke placed one polished black boot on its hilt, lowering his own scarlet weapon to place the point just below Luke's chin.

"One little push," the dark Luke said, his strangely dry voice echoing strangely in the tiny cave.

For a moment, Vader reappeared, standing next to the dark version of Luke. "Finish him," he said, approval crossing his features as he looked at the doppelganger.

Anger surged up through Luke, and before he knew what he was doing, he pulled his lightsaber to his hand and leaped up, igniting it. He whipped the shining blue blade through both forms, but they vanished, fading away as if they had never been.

"_One little push_," a ghostly voice murmured into the now-empty chamber, sounding like both his father's voice and his own.

It was a long while before Luke Skywalker was able to move from that deep, dark cave.

* * *

Lando Calrissian, Baron-Administrator of Cloud City on Bespin, was having an excellent day.

He had just managed to talk the leaders of the Ugnaught labor guilds into increasing their production without raising their rates, and that, combined with the news that the modifications his chief engineer had made to the Tibanna refineries would speed up production by nearly thirty percent, had put him in a very good mood.

He grinned broadly as he passed a group of workers in one of Cloud City's wide, airy halls, broad windows showcasing the view of the endless sky outside, and a few of them smiled back, waving a friendly greeting.

Lando made his way through the complex up to his office, where he intended to catch up on some datawork, but once he arrived, he began to suspect this day might not turn out to be as good as he had hoped; his secretary was sitting as usual at her desk, but something about her posture made Lando nervous. Something was wrong here.

He caught the warning flash in her eyes as she looked up at him, and he was just about to take a step back from his office door when it opened of its own accord.

Lando froze. Sitting behind his desk was none other than Emperor Skywalker himself, calmly looking back at him with the eerie mismatched gaze that had made him all the more unnerving since he had lost his eye at Yavin. Standing beside him was Grand Admiral Thrawn, his glowing red eyes also fixed on Lando.

"Please, come in, Baron-Administrator," Lord Vader said, his tone deceptively polite.

Lando quickly recovered himself, forcing his expression to become calm as he glanced past the Emperor and the Grand Admiral to the squad of stormtroopers lining the walls of Lando's office. The trooper nearest the entrance waved Lando further inside with the muzzle of his blaster rifle, then closed the door behind him.

The gambler's thoughts whirled, trying to figure out what was going on. What possible reason could the Emperor himself have for coming here?

"Welcome to Cloud City, Your Highness," Lando said, fighting not to let his nervousness show on his face. "To what do I owe the-"

"Spare me the pleasantries, Calrissian," Vader said, standing. "There is something you need to do for me."

"Of course, Your Highness," Lando said, still trying to determine why the Empire had come to Bespin. Had they come to take over the refineries? The facility was too small to be worth the Empire's time, Lando had thought, but apparently he was wrong.

"I have become aware of the fact that you are running Tibanna gas out of this facility to be sold through non-official channels," Vader said, taking a step around the edge of Lando's desk. "You are aware of the laws you are violating, are you not?"

Lando's mouth felt dry. This was it, then. "This facility operates well within Imperial trade laws," he began, but Vader held up a gloved hand.

"Do not presume to think you can deceive me, Calrissian," he said. "I can have you arrested and this facility placed under Imperial control on my word alone." He moved around the desk so that he was standing in front of Lando. "However, there is the possibility that we can come to some sort of arrangement."

"What kind of arrangement?" Lando asked, trying not to let Vader's unnerving gaze put him off-balance.

"An acquaintance of yours, Han Solo, is bringing his ship here for repairs," said Thrawn, his voice just as deceptively calm and polite as the Emperor's. "We are prepared to ignore your transgressions in exchange for your aid in apprehending him."

Lando put on a politely confused expression. "Solo, did you say?" he said, making sure his inner surprise did not show on his face. Han was in trouble with the Empire? That was hardly a surprise, but if both Vader and Thrawn were after him, the smuggler had gotten in way over his head this time.

He was about to say that he wasn't sure Han would come here when Vader sighed impatiently and abruptly gestured at Lando's office window.

Startling him, the window shattered, the fragments flying outside as a sharp wind filled the office, ruffling the clothes of those inside. Before Lando could scramble backwards, Vader took a long step toward him and seized the collar of his shirt in one gloved hand, effortlessly lifting him free of the floor.

Turning smoothly, Vader hurled Lando over the desk and out of the shattered window. The gambler screamed as he fell, the wind roaring in his ears.

After ten long seconds that felt more like hours, he mysteriously stopped falling and instead began ascending.

Lando felt a rush of panic and confusion, madly wondering what was going on, and he struggled against the invisible force holding him. Slowly, he turned to face the wall of the administration complex, his feet dangling below him as he kicked uselessly for some kind of foothold.

Vader stood in the remains of his office window, glass fragments crunching beneath his heavy black boots as he looked with sardonic calm back at the gambler. "Do we have a deal, Baron-Administrator?" he asked.

Lando struggled for breath, hands grasping uselessly at the intangible pressure at his throat. He finally managed to draw in a breath, but had to let it out in another terrified scream as the force holding him up suddenly vanished.

He fell past the white towers of the upper part of the city, his cape tangling about his head and shoulders as he tumbled head-over-heels toward the outer hull of the floating city below.

Just before he hit, though, the invisible grip snatched him up and sent him hurtling upwards toward his office again.

With a suddenness that made his head spin, Lando stopped in front of the broken window, hovering just out of reach of the frame.

Vader rose a mocking eyebrow, smirking cruelly. "Well, Calrissian?"

"Yes!" Lando gasped out. "I'll do it, I'll do it!"

The invisible grip pulled him inside and dumped him unceremoniously into his chair.

"Excellent," said Vader, towering over him with arms crossed over his chest. "I'm pleased we could reach an agreement so quickly. You will receive further instructions this evening."

Sprawled in his chair, his hair and clothes disheveled and his nerves so rattled he thought he would never catch his wits again, Lando watched as Vader, Thrawn, and the stormtroopers left the office, the Emperor marching down the hallway beyond as if he owned it.

Lando leaned back in his chair, trying to catch his breath again. His secretary poked her head inside the door, looking over at him with relief. "I've canceled the rest of your appointments for today, Baron-Administrator," she said. "Shall I call for some workmen to replace the window?"

"Yes, thank you," Lando said gratefully. He was definitely going to give her a raise.

Sighing resignedly, Lando set about making plans to help snare Han in Lord Vader's trap.

* * *

Luke sat against the curved wall of Master Yoda's house, absently eating some sort of stew out of a bowl Yoda had given him upon his return to the small dwelling. Luke wasn't sure what was in the stew, - truthfully, he wasn't sure he wanted to know, either - but at least it was hot.

Yoda had been mostly quiet since Luke's return, occasionally glancing over at him as he moved around in his house, going about business known only to him. Luke wasn't in the mood to talk, so this suited him just fine.

As Luke finished his stew and set the bowl aside, Yoda approached, his ancient eyes knowing. He leaned on his walking stick in front of Luke, silent for a few moments before he began speaking. "A warning, it was," he said. Luke didn't have to ask what he was talking about. "Saw yourself, did you? Like your father, you were?"

Luke nodded silently.

Yoda frowned slightly. "This I have seen. In meditation, at times have I seen you at your father's side, helping to further his purpose."

"I would _never_-" Luke began hotly, but Yoda silenced him with a sharp look.

"Other times have I seen you fight your father," the ancient Jedi continued. "At times, win you do, at other times, win Vader does." Yoda leaned forward slightly. "Always in motion is the future. Change, it does based on your actions and those of your father."

"What do you mean?" Luke asked, shifting to a more comfortable position.

"Powerful, you are," Yoda said, placing both hands on his walking stick. "As powerful as your father. Around the two of you moves the Force, influenced and influencing." Yoda looked out of the nearby window, watching the rain outside for a moment. "Before you, two paths are," he said as he looked back at Luke. "Join your father you can, rule the galaxy at his side, and fall into the Dark Side."

Luke began to voice an objection, but Yoda continued, interrupting him. "Or confront him you can, end his rule." Yoda leaned forward, poking Luke in the chest with the tip of his walking stick. "Powerful enough to do this, only you are. Obi-Wan could not. I cannot. Only you."

Yoda shuffled a step away. "But you are not ready." He turned to Luke again. "You are reckless! Adventure you crave, excitement you seek." He gestured at Luke with his stick. "A Jedi needs not these things. A Jedi is calm, at peace. Only when you are able to control your emotions will you be ready to confront your father."

The ancient Jedi Master's expression became gravely serious. "If you rush to face him with hate and anger still in your heart, to the Dark Side will you fall, and join him - or take his place."

Luke sighed as he remembered what he'd seen in the cave. Yoda was right, he knew. One little push…

"All right," he said, meeting Yoda's eyes. "Please, teach me."

Master Yoda nodded in satisfaction. "Good," he said. "Begin, we will."

* * *

-/\\-


	19. II,6: What Have You Done To My Ship?

-/\\-

* * *

**Six**  
("What Have You Done To My Ship?")

Using supplies from the _Millennium Falcon_'s small but well-stocked infirmary, Mara helped Leia clean a scrape on her hand she had acquired during the course of their repairs. She was not doing it out of comradely helpfulness, as it appeared; this was the easiest way to obtain a sample of Organa's blood without arousing suspicion.

The two women sat in the _Falcon_'s hold, behind the dejarik table. They had been limping along for several days now on a patched-together hyperdrive Han and Chewbacca had wrangled into a semblance of function, much longer than it would have taken were the hyperdrive in peak condition.

But, they had finally arrived at Bespin, and so Mara needed a blood sample. She intended to use Cloud City's computers to check Organa's blood and then send the results to Lord Vader. If she arranged things right, everything would go smoothly, and none of the others would be hurt.

Lord Vader was a reasonable man; he wouldn't take any extremes that weren't necessary, she knew.

A part of Mara's mind mocked her for thinking this, recalling some of the increasingly erratic behavior reported in the news, as well as some other incidents she had observed personally. Lord Vader's temper was quick to rise and slow to fade away, and if he was sufficiently angry with Solo and the others, there was no telling what he might do.

As she finished applying the bandage, Mara folded the cloth she'd used to clean the wound and made as if to toss it into the garbage receptacle. As Leia glanced away momentarily, Mara palmed the cloth and quickly tucked it into the cuff of her shirt, hiding the motion behind her leg.

"Thank you," said Leia, and Mara made herself smile in response.

"Sure," she replied, clearing away the rest of the medkit.

"_We've got landing clearance finally,_" Han said over the intercom. "_Strap yourselves in back there._"

Chewbacca made a concerned statement, and Han responded, apparently unaware the intercom was still on. "_Hey, I'm sure he's forgotten all about that. The patrol officer was just touchy, that's all. You know how those guys are._"

The Wookiee responded with a less-than-confident statement, informing Han that he thought this was going to be trouble. Han chuckled mirthlessly. "_Hey, when is it not?_"

Mara wanted to be alone with her thoughts, so she stayed in the hold while Leia went up to the cockpit.

She was treading dangerous ground here, she knew. On one side was her loyalty to her master, the man who had been a father to her all of her life, teaching her to fight, to spy, to take care of herself. On the other side were the people on board this ship, Rebels, people who were supposed to be her enemies but considered themselves her friends. She felt much the same way, she thought, though a part of her mind reprimanded her for these feelings.

She was Mara Jade, the Emperor's Hand. What was she doing feeling sorry for a bunch of Rebels who were about to get what they deserved?

"Something wrong?"

Mara looked up to see Winter standing next to the acceleration couch behind the game table, one hand resting on the back.

"Oh, just… thinking about Luke," Mara improvised. "I was wondering if he made it away from Hoth all right."

Winter nodded, her expression faintly sad as she sat down behind the table next to Mara. "A lot of people didn't," she said quietly. "The Empire has taken so much from us over the years. They've driven us from our home on Alderaan, forced us to run to every corner of the galaxy to keep away from them, and taken away so many of those we love." She looked up at Mara. "Like your brother."

Though she did not let it show on her face, Mara was momentarily surprised before she remembered that the Mara Jade Winter knew, the university student whom she had recruited into the Rebellion, had a brother who had been imprisoned for refusing his draft orders.

"And now they have who knows how many more of us," Mara said, injecting her tone with what she judged to be an appropriate amount of sadness, not entirely feigned. "From what I saw back at Hoth, almost everyone at the base was either killed or captured."

"A few transports managed to get past the blockade," Winter replied. "A number of fighters made it, as well. We will just have to see who escaped when we finally meet up with the fleet."

Mara nodded silently.

"It won't always be like this," Winter said, smiling reassuringly. "Public opinion is beginning to turn against the Emperor, and sympathy for our cause is growing all the time. More people will realize what a tyrant Vader is, and we'll soon have more help than we know what to do with. The Sith will learn that they can't keep a stranglehold on the galaxy forever."

_You haven't spent time around many Sith_, Mara thought to herself. But outwardly, she smiled in return, as if she appreciated the other woman's words.

The _Falcon_ rocked slightly as Han set it down on one of Cloud City's landing pads. Mara got up, making ready to go outside, and Winter followed her, looking over at the others as they joined them on the way to the ramp.

Han was first down the ramp, the wind ruffling his jacket and hair as he moved out onto the walkway leading from the landing pad. Mara followed, looking around as she emerged from the ship.

Cloud City was, as its name suggested, an enormous white city afloat in a sea of clouds high in the atmosphere of the gas giant Bespin. It mostly served as a mining colony centered around the production of Tibanna gas, Mara knew, but it also had a number of resorts and casinos, owing to the desire of the rich and lazy to relax in spectacular surroundings.

It was early in the local morning, the sun still making the endless fluffy clouds outside seem to glow pink and orange, and the light played over the gray and white buildings in interesting patterns.

"Oh, no one to meet us," C-3PO observed, looking at the empty walkway in front of them.

But, as if summoned by the droid's words, the door opened and several men walked out. Most of the men wore blue uniforms and matching caps, blaster pistols holstered at their sides. One man, dressed in gray, had a shaved head and a cyborg implant around the back of his head, covering his ears. He walked to the side of the small group's leader, a handsome dark-skinned man of about Han's age dressed in black trousers, a light blue shirt, and a flowing cape of the same color.

The men stopped several paces away from the _Falcon_'s crew, and their leader advanced unsmilingly, his gaze fixed on Han.

"Why you slimy, double-crossing, no-good swindler," he said to Han, by all appearances ready to order his men to shoot. "You got a lot of guts coming here, after what you pulled."

"I see he knows you," Mara remarked dryly.

Han cast an annoyed glance at her before he turned back to the man, smiling uncomfortably. "Hey, Lando, I can-"

Lando took a slow step toward Han, his eyes still narrowed, and as he made a sudden movement forward, Han flinched, bringing up his fists.

But, surprising all of them, Lando suddenly laughed and grabbed Han in a bear hug. "How are you doin', you old pirate?" he exclaimed, grinning. "So good to see you!"

The tension suddenly broken, Lando's cyborg assistant turned and pointed back the way the Baron-Administrator's party had come, and the blue-uniformed men swiveled in unison and headed back inside.

Winter and Leia exchanged uneasy smiles, apparently relieved, while Mara looked over at Chewbacca to see the big Wookiee looking back at her with a concerned expression similar to her own; something was off here, and they both knew it.

"What are you doing here?" Lando asked Han amiably.

Han gestured back at the _Falcon_ with one hand, half-frowning. "Repairs," he said. "I thought you could help me out."

Lando suddenly adopted a mock-horrified expression. "What have you done to my ship?" he demanded, a hint of a smile lurking at the corners of his mouth.

"_Your_ ship?" Han retorted. "Hey, remember you lost her to me fair and square."

Mara smiled faintly at this; it figured that Han had acquired his disreputable ship by disreputable means. She wondered how many other owners the _Millennium Falcon_ had had besides Han Solo and Lando Calrissian. The starship was older than she was.

Lando smiled wryly, stepping slightly past Han to look at the others. "And how are you doin', Chewbacca?" he asked, looking over at the towering Wookiee. "You still hanging around with this loser?"

Han gave Lando a good-natured insulted look as Chewbacca roared a response. Lando smiled at what Chewbacca had said, but smiled even further when he caught sight of the three women standing behind Han's copilot.

"Hello, what have we here?" Lando said, his manner shifting into a pattern he no doubt considered charming. "Welcome. I'm Lando Calrissian, the administrator of this facility."

Winter smiled politely in reply, while Leia made no secret of not appreciating the man's charm. Mara felt the same, though she disguised it better. Here was a man who was quite handsome, knew it, and used that fact to his greatest advantage whenever possible. Mara had met plenty of men like this over the course of her career, and was quite immune to charm by now.

Lando turned back to Han. "I always said you were a pirate, Solo," he said, grinning. "Where did you kidnap these lovely young ladies from?"

"Hoth," the smuggler replied as Lando turned back around to smile at the women again. "We ran into a little trouble there."

Lando cast an appraising eye over the battered Corellian freighter. "What's wrong with the _Falcon_?" he asked.

"Hyperdrive," Han replied.

Lando nodded, moving off down the walkway toward the door. The others followed him. "I'll get my people to work on her right away," he said. "That ship saved my life quite a few times, you know. She's the fastest hunk of junk in the galaxy!"

Mara followed the others into the city, only half listening as Han and Lando talked, discussing conditions at the city and reminiscing about a few of their shared adventures. Her thoughts on a number of things, ranging from Luke to her mission for the Empire, she was completely unprepared for a brief, though extremely powerful brush against her mind through the Force.

Her master was here. Darth Vader was somewhere in Cloud City, and now he knew she was here, as well.

Mara momentarily froze. This was the moment of choice, the time when she had to decide whether to help her friends escape the city or turn them over to her master.

Her master decided for her. _Come to me,_ his voice said within her mind. Along with it came a powerful compulsion to obey, as if he had sensed her troubled thoughts and disapproved, making sure she followed his orders.

The others were a short distance away in the wide, brightly lit white hall, which offered a spectacular view of the clouds outside through the long window that spanned the length of one wall. Mara allowed them to get ahead of her, searching for a doorway to duck through so none of them saw her leave.

However, one of their party noticed her and stopped, turning around. Threepio shuffled back toward her, raising a gold-colored arm. "Mistress Mara!" he said as he approached. "Where are you going?"

Mara frowned. Faced with no choice, she grabbed the droid and pulled him along with her through the first door she saw. A 3PO droid of the same model passed them on its way out of the room, but Mara clapped a hand over Threepio's metal face, whispering for him to stay quiet.

As soon as the other droid left the room, Mara closed and locked the door, raising a warning finger at Threepio. Around them, she heard the subtle hissing and clanking of concealed machinery, along with a few other sounds she could not identify at first but placed as soon as she realized she and Threepio were not alone.

"Mistress Mara, what are you-" the protocol droid began, but he suddenly cut off, staring at something over Mara's shoulder.

She turned to see the muzzle of a blaster rifle three centimeters from her eye, held by a white-armored Imperial Stormtrooper. He was accompanied by six other troopers, who also had their weapons trained on Mara and the droid.

"Who are you?" the commanding trooper demanded, raising his blaster rifle slightly.

Mara turned and drew herself up, adopting the coldly condescending manner she used whenever she had to work with Imperial troops. "Operative 3152," she replied. "Imperial Special Forces. I have no identification; I'm here undercover."

This number and designation were the only trace of Mara Jade in the Imperial military files, but even the file connected to the designation contained only the briefest of summaries. 'Operative 3152' was yet another of her numerous aliases as Emperor's Hand.

The commander did not move his blaster a millimeter. "Call that in," he ordered one of the other men in his squad. The trooper he had spoken to brought a hand up to his helmet, speaking through his comlink for a moment.

The trooper reported his findings to the commander through the squad's helmet comm, the words too muffled for Mara to make out. The commander lowered his own blaster rifle, but none of the other troopers followed. After opening one of the compartments on his armor's utility belt, the commander thrust a small, portable fingerprint scanner at her.

Mara immediately placed her left thumb in the scanner, which flashed and beeped three times. Behind her, Threepio made a surprised noise. Mara sent him a glare over her shoulder, silently ordering him not to speak.

The commander consulted the tiny screen on the side of the scanner, then stiffened and crisply saluted. The other men in his squad relaxed their postures and lowered their rifles, following suit.

"Do you require any assistance, Operative?" the commander inquired.

"Take me to Lord Vader," Mara said, straightening. "I need to deliver my report."

The commander nodded. "What of the droid?" he asked.

Mara looked back over her shoulder at Threepio, who was huddled in horrified astonishment against the wall, clearly terrified. "Dispose of it," she said coldly.

The troopers raised their blasters and fired before Threepio could get out more than a startled squawk. He tumbled backwards into the wall and collapsed against the ground in a heap of golden metal pieces.

"Take that to the nearest garbage chute," the commander ordered. Three of his troopers snatched crates from the shelves around them and began stuffing parts inside, while the commander and the rest of the stormtroopers moved into escort formation.

"Lead the way, Commander," Mara said, doing her best to keep from looking down at the wreckage. She stepped around one of the droid's legs, marching in perfect time with the stormtroopers as they left the storage room and set off down the hall leading from the room's other door.

Mara Jade gave no indication of her inner regret on her face.

* * *

On Dagobah, Luke balanced on his hands, his body stiff as he concentrated on holding his position. R2-D2 sat nearby, attempting to hose some of the mud and swamp debris off of Luke's ship.

Master Yoda perched atop a large rock next to the young Jedi, continuing his lesson. "Be calm," he said. "Through the Force, things you will see: the future, the past; old friends long gone."

Luke felt his consciousness drift with the Force, a tiny raft caught in the swirling currents and eddies of a tremendous roaring river. It was wondrous, the river, made up of a thousand different images flooding past him almost too fast to see.

He tried to focus on one he thought he recognized, and for a moment he saw a flash of Obi-Wan's face, much younger, and filled with sorrow.

"_You were my brother, Anakin! And I loved you. I am sorry it had to come to this."_

Luke saw his father's face then, young and surrounded by long, wavy hair, like it had been when he was still a Jedi. Anakin's eyes, however, burned a violent shade of yellow, and his face was twisted in rage.

"_I hate you!"_

Luke pulled away from this image, letting his consciousness drift on through the river.

Another face caught his eye, and at first he thought it was Leia, but as he focused on it, he realized it was instead his mother he saw, her gentle brown eyes filled with worry.

"_What are we going to do?" Padmé said, worry starting to enter both her expression and her tone._

Luke did not recognize the blurry outlines of pillars and red carpet around her, but he did recognize what he saw next: his father, his hair just as long and slightly tousled as it had been in the previous image, but, surprisingly, there was no trace of anger about this Anakin. No, Luke's father seemed much different here, much more… gentle - happy, almost.

_Anakin smiled. "We're not going to worry about anything right now, all right?" He reached up to touch Padmé's face with his flesh-and-blood fingers. "This is a happy moment." He looked down into her beautiful brown eyes. "The happiest moment of my life."_

_She smiled finally, and he leaned down to kiss her as she embraced him._

Luke wasn't sure how he felt at seeing this. Intellectually, he had known that his father hadn't always been the monster he was today. But seeing it, seeing a private, happy moment between his parents, seeing the love on their faces, was something altogether different.

He heard his mother's voice again and focused on it, bringing the associated image to the surface of the figurative river.

_Padmé lay in a bed in a clean white room, surrounded by beeping machines. She seemed very tired, very sad, but also happy as she looked down at the two infants held by a pair of medical droids. Obi-Wan sat next to her, also seeming very tired. The Jedi Master's clothes were covered with soot and burned in several places._

Luke momentarily puzzled over the two infants; did he have a twin brother or sister Obi-Wan hadn't told him about? He returned his attention to the vision as it continued.

"_There is good in him, Obi-Wan," Padmé said weakly, her eyes half-closed. She seemed to be slipping away even then. "I know there is."_

_Obi-Wan attempted to smile reassuringly, but the expression came up bitter instead. "Hold on, Padmé," he said, taking her hand. "Don't give up."_

_But it was too late; Padmé's eyes closed and her grip on Obi-Wan's hand slackened. Several of the machines surrounding her beeped in alarm, but one of the droids quietly silenced them._

_Obi-Wan sighed, a deep sadness coming over his face._

Luke felt a tear slide from the corner of his eye and down into his hair where he balanced in the Dagobah swamp. Obi-Wan had spoken of Padmé's death only once, his voice heavy with grief at the memory, but seeing it for himself nearly overwhelmed Luke.

His attention was drawn to another image in the flood, a tremendous white city floating in a sea of clouds. He focused on it, wondering what its significance was, when he saw Leia's face. Luke concentrated harder, and saw his friend standing in a dark room, filled with steam and lit only in dim orange, throwing an eerie light over her surroundings.

"_I love you!_" _Leia called, huddled against the enormous bulk of Chewbacca, who growled mournfully beside her. _

_Han Solo stood with his hands bound in front of him, trying to maintain a brave expression. "I know," he replied softly, attempting a reassuring smile._

Darth Vader's face appeared, lit in orange from below, and he had never seemed more sinister to Luke than in that moment. His glowing blue mechanical eye contrasted harshly with the orange light of the steam-filled room, giving him an otherworldly aspect.

"_Put him in," the Sith Master ordered. Next to Leia, Chewbacca howled in rage and sorrow. Across from them, Mara Jade stood dressed in Imperial black next to Vader and a grim-looking bounty hunter, her face an expressionless mask, though her eyes glistened strangely in the orange-tinted light._

It was all too much at once for Luke, and he gasped, collapsing painfully to the ground. As he sat up, Yoda looked over at him calmly.

"What did you see?" the ancient Jedi Master asked.

"I saw… I saw a city in the clouds," Luke said, breathing heavily. "I saw my friends, too. They were in pain."

"The future you saw," Yoda said, nodding slightly.

Luke looked up at his teacher. "Will they die?" he asked, dreading the answer.

Yoda closed his eyes for a moment. "Difficult to see," he said finally. "Always in motion is the future."

"I have to help them," Luke said determinedly, starting to get up. He wondered at the significance of seeing Mara dressed in an Imperial uniform in the vision. What did that mean?

"If you leave now, help them you could," said Yoda. "But you would destroy all for which they have fought and suffered."

He left unsaid, though quite plain, that Luke was not ready; if he left now, he would be forced into a confrontation with his father for which he was not prepared.

Luke sank back down to sit on the ground, unsure of what to do.

The images he had seen in his vision - all of them - would not leave his head.

* * *

Sunlight streamed into the central room of the apartments assigned to Han Solo and his group. The apartments were comfortable but not opulent, done up in a reserved style. The main room was circular, furnished with a few couches, tables, and chairs, but little else, save for an abstract sculpture in the center, near an expansive window on the far wall.

In front of this window paced Leia, looking more beautiful to Han than she ever had before, despite the worried expression on her face. She was dressed in a flowing burgundy gown with a cloud-white sleeveless cloak overtop, her long brown hair bound up in two long, looping braids.

Han smiled at her as he entered the room, and she briefly smiled back before resuming her worried expression. "The ship's almost finished," Han said. "Two or three more things and we're in great shape."

"The sooner the better," said Leia, walking towards him. "Something is wrong here. No one has seen or knows anything about Mara or Threepio. They've been gone too long to have gotten lost."

Han gently put his hands on her shoulders and kissed her forehead. "Relax," he said. "I'll talk to Lando and see what I can find out. I'm sure they're fine."

"I don't trust Lando," Leia said as she sat down on one of the low couches.

"Well, I don't trust him, either," Han replied as he sat down next to her. "But, he is my friend." He smiled. "Besides, we'll soon be gone."

Leia smiled back, though there was a hint of sadness in her expression. "And then you're as good as gone, aren't you?"

Han looked down, unable to meet her eyes just then. He hadn't given a whole lot of thought to what he would do after the ship was fixed; he wanted to stay with Leia, but he knew he had to get the bounty off of his head somehow. He didn't want to drag her along on _that_ sure-to-be unpleasant task, but at the same time he definitely didn't want to leave her behind, either.

He was about to reply, but was interrupted by an angrily howling Chewbacca, who strode through the door of the central room with a large crate in his furry arms, overflowing with familiar pieces of golden metal and circuitry.

"Oh, no," Leia said, getting up. "What happened?"

Chewbacca growled back a reply, setting the crate down on one of the low glass tables next to the sculpture.

"Where?" Han asked, looking over at his friend.

Chewbacca clarified, sorting through the box. Several small pieces of the droid fell out.

"Found him in a junk pile?" Han said, puzzled. "Did you find out why?"

Chewbacca growled that he had not. Looking over at Leia, he further reported that he had found no trace of Mara Jade, either.

"Has he seen Mara?" Winter asked as she entered the room, looking over at the others with concern. She wore a similar outfit to Leia's now, but all in white, as was her preference.

"He says he hasn't," Han translated.

He frowned. He could have expected the droid to distractedly wander off from the group, but Mara wasn't like that. He supposed that she could have went off somewhere to be alone like she sometimes did, but she would have told them where she was going first. Something wasn't right here.

The door buzzed, and Lando let himself in, smiling cordially. "I'm sorry, am I interrupting anything?" he said.

"Not really," Leia said distantly.

Lando ignored the princess' aloofness, smiling even more as he stepped further into the room. "You look beautiful," he said, looking over at both Leia and Winter. "Truly, you belong with us here among the clouds."

Han rolled his eyes. Same old Lando.

"Would you care to join me for a little refreshment?" Lando asked. He looked up, as if remembering that Han and Chewbacca were also there. "Everyone's invited, of course."

Han got up and moved to stand next to Leia. "Sure," he said. Chewbacca growled his agreement - but then the Wookiee was always hungry.

Lando glanced down with a faint frown at the crate containing the forcibly disassembled Threepio. "Having trouble with your droid?"

Han offered Leia his arm, affecting an unconcerned expression. "No, no trouble," he said, feigning mild puzzlement. "Why?"

He saw the small smile Leia gave him as she took his arm, and he returned her glance, smiling slightly himself.

* * *

As they walked along toward Lando's private dining room, the Baron-Administrator explained his city's form of government and described the operations.

Leia, always looking for new opportunities to make contacts for the Alliance, began to wonder if she might be able to make a deal with Han's friend to supply Tibanna gas to the Rebellion. They badly needed it.

"So you're part of the mining guild, then?" she asked after Lando finished speaking.

The group moved through another of Cloud City's expansive white halls, passing a number of humans and aliens moving about their business. The architecture reminded her somewhat of the Royal Palace on Alderaan, and Leia felt a momentary pang at this; at the moment, an Imperial Governor lived in her family's home, ruling the sector from the subjugated world.

"No, not really," Lando replied, bringing her back to the present. "Our operation is small enough not to be noticed."

As they moved within sight of the dining room, its large white doors closed at the end of the hallway, Han asked, "Aren't you afraid the Empire might find out about all this, shut you down?"

"That's always been a danger," Lando replied as they paused in front of the doors. "It's loomed like a shadow over everything we've built. But, circumstances have developed that will ensure security." He looked over at Han, his face going oddly serious. "You see, I've just made a deal that will keep the Empire out of here forever."

Lando touched a control next to the door, and the huge white doors slid open.

Leia felt Han's arm tense as she looked into the dining room and tensed herself. The room beyond was decorated mostly in white and brightly lit, with wide, airy windows at the far end. This made it all the more disturbing to see a figure robed in black seated at the head of the table, smiling triumphantly.

Darth Vader rose slowly to his feet, making a mockingly welcoming gesture. Beside him, on either side, stood Grand Admiral Thrawn and the infamous bounty hunter Boba Fett, respectively.

Han shot Lando an angry, betrayed look, his hand dropping to his blaster at his side.

"I had no choice," Lando said quietly. "They arrived right before you did. I'm sorry."

Even as he spoke, several squads of stormtroopers appeared out of a number of doors along the hallway, completely surrounding them.

"I'm sorry, too," Han said bitingly.

Suddenly, he pulled away from Leia and stepped in front of her, drawing his blaster in the same motion. He fired several desperate shots at Vader, but the Sith Master simply raised his mechanical hand and deflected the blasts into the wall, small puffs of smoke resulting each time a bolt struck his gauntlet.

Han made to fire again, but a powerful invisible grip snatched the blaster out of his hand and sent it sailing into Vader's.

The Sith Master calmly set the blaster down on the table beside him as he took his seat again. "We would be honored if you would join us," he said, smirking triumphantly.

Glaring darkly at Lando, Han moved further into the dining room. Chewbacca silently bared his teeth at the gambler, and Winter gave him a cold look as she passed him, but somehow, Leia knew Lando really hadn't wanted to do this. It wasn't so much that she saw it on his face, she just somehow _knew_.

As Leia returned her attention to the dark figure before them, she caught a hint of a knowing look on Vader's face as he looked directly at her. She felt a frightening, totally unfamiliar sensation as it seemed to her that something huge and grim looked inside her mind, quietly satisfied with what it found there.

Leia shuddered, deeply disturbed at the touch, and Han looked back at her with concern, silently questioning.

Behind them, the door to the dining room slammed closed with chilling finality.

* * *

Sitting in front of a computer console in the apartment Lord Vader had commandeered for his stay at Cloud City, Mara silently analyzed the blood sample she had taken from Leia. She tried to keep herself from thinking about what was happening to the others right now, and in this effort concentrated more fully on the computer.

As expected, Organa's blood registered the unusual genetic markers peculiar to those with an affinity for the Force. However, something about the results nagged at Mara, something she couldn't quite put her finger on. She stared at the readout, puzzled. On a hunch, she pulled up another program and ran a DNA analysis on Organa's blood, comparing it to the Sith personnel database, specifically those old enough to be Leia's genetic parents.

To her shock, Leia's DNA matched up so closely with Darth Vader's that the program helpfully suggested a familial relationship. She ran another test, and a moment later the monitor blinked, reporting a 98% probability that Anakin Skywalker was Leia Organa's genetic father.

Mara leaned back in her chair, taken completely by surprise. Leia was Vader's daughter? Leia herself certainly didn't know this, and it was highly unlikely Lord Vader knew it, either. If he had, he would have put just as much effort into tracking down his daughter over the last few years as he had his son.

Feeling overwhelmed, Mara decided to make sure before she reported her findings. Since this computer had been fitted with a link to the _Executor_'s data banks, Mara used her personal codes to access the first section of Lord Vader's private files, the ones he had given her permission to look through. She pulled up the information on Luke's mother and noted that it included medical files. Going back to one of her other running programs, she entered Padmé's DNA profile in alongside Vader's and ran another check on Leia's sample.

After a moment, the computer confirmed what Mara had already suspected: Leia Organa was in fact Leia Naberrie Skywalker, the child of Anakin Skywalker and Padmé Amidala Naberrie. This made her the twin sister of Luke Skywalker, as the records inside Lord Vader's private files indicated Padmé had been pregnant only once, just before the end of the Clone Wars.

That explained why Leia felt so similar to Luke in the Force, Mara thought with an odd detachment. She had the potential to become just as powerful as her brother and father, Mara realized further.

It was ironic, Mara thought, that two of Lord Vader's most ardent enemies were in fact his own children. How was _he_ going to take this?

Mara did not have to wait long to find out; at that moment, Darth Vader swept into the room, his gaze fixed on Mara. He was alone, but she saw a glimpse of white armor outside before the door closed.

"What have you found, Jade?" he asked, striding over to her, his long black cloak flaring out with the movement.

Mara wordlessly referred him to the monitor, unable to think of what to say.

Vader's eyes narrowed for a moment as he read, but as Mara watched, all color left his face, and he slowly lowered one hand to the computer console in a deceptively casual gesture. No one but Mara, who probably knew him better than anyone but Thrawn and his apprentice, could have seen that he was actually bracing himself on the console, too shocked to trust his balance at that moment.

"That will be all, Jade," he said quietly, an indecipherable emotion coloring his voice.

Mara got up, and as she moved to the door at the edge of the room, she glanced back to see Lord Vader slowly sink into the chair she had just vacated, still staring at the monitor.

She hurried on, not quite sure where she was going or what she was going to do.

* * *

-/\\-


	20. II,7: I Am Altering The Deal

-/\\-

* * *

**Seven**  
("I Am Altering The Deal")

Against the protestations of both his teachers, Luke packed up his X-wing fighter in preparation to leave the small, swampy planet of Dagobah.

"You must not go!" Yoda warned.

"I have to!" Luke replied, pained at the ancient Jedi Master's pleading expression. "I can't get that vision out of my head. I have to help them." He paused, one hand still on the storage compartment on the underside of his fighter. "They're going to die if I don't."

"You don't know that," said Obi-Wan as he materialized next to the other Jedi Master. "Even Yoda cannot see their fate."

"I have to help them!" Luke said again. "Leia and the others are in terrible danger, and I have to do something."

Obi-Wan's expression shifted slightly at this, and Luke recognized the look; Ben knew something but didn't want to tell him. He'd had that look when Luke had asked about his father for the first time, and again when Luke had later asked about his father's fall to the Dark Side.

Luke thought he knew what it was, too. "Leia's my sister, isn't she?" he said suddenly, realizing it just before he spoke. "I saw my mother in a vision, and she had _two_ children. Leia is the other one, isn't she?"

The two Jedi Masters exchanged a silent glance before Yoda finally nodded slightly, and Obi-Wan inclined his head in acquiescence.

"Much do you see," Yoda said quietly, turning back to Luke. "Your sister she is."

"Why didn't you ever tell me?" Luke demanded of Obi-Wan.

His first teacher sighed, folding his hands inside the sleeves of his robe. "I wanted to, Luke, but I didn't get the chance on Alderaan." He looked up at Luke. "She doesn't know, and I didn't think that was the right time to tell her."

"You want Vader to tell her?" Luke said acidly. "Because if I leave her at Bespin, he's going to figure it out himself." He took a step towards the two Jedi Masters, his eyes burning with determination. "If I'm in danger from him, she's in even worse danger. Leia doesn't even know she can touch the Force, and if Vader gets ahold of her now, he'll be able to shape her into another one of his Sith, like his apprentice. Everything you fear about me, he'll be able to do with her. That's why I have to go. If I don't, he'll make her just like he is, and sooner or later I'll have to fight her. Is that what you what?" Luke snapped, angry now.

Yoda and Obi-Wan weathered the storm silently, great sadness on both their faces.

"If you choose to do this, Luke," Obi-Wan said softly, "you will have to face Vader alone. I cannot interfere."

"I understand," Luke said calmly, doing his best to purge his anger with the Force. He turned to his droid companion. "Artoo, fire up the converters."

Artoo whistled as he set to his task, only too happy to be leaving this dismal bog of a world.

"Luke, use the Force only for knowledge and defense," Obi-Wan advised. "Never as a weapon. Don't give in to hate; it leads only to the Dark Side."

"To Obi-Wan, you listen," Yoda urged. "Mind what you have learned. Save you, it can."

"I will," Luke said as he climbed up into the cockpit of his fighter. "I'll come back, Master Yoda, I promise. I'll bring Leia back so you can teach her, too."

Yoda nodded acceptingly, knowing he could do nothing to keep Luke from going ahead.

"Do not repeat your father's mistakes," Yoda said gravely. "Learn from his fall, you must. Never can you let your emotions cloud your judgment."

Luke nodded solemnly as the cockpit of his fighter closed. Within moments, he was soaring through the atmosphere, sailing into the infinite blackness of space.

As Luke Skywalker's X-wing fighter plotted its hyperspace jump directly to Bespin, a silent black starship tracked his vector and pursued him once again.

* * *

Chewbacca howled his anger and defiance at the horrible cacophony that assaulted his sensitive ears from all sides. He was in a small metal-walled cell, the room the Imperials were keeping him and his friends in when they weren't questioning them.

The range of the painful noise went well beyond that of human hearing, but not that of Wookiees. Chewbacca felt like his eardrums would burst under the assault, and he clapped his hands over his ears, though this did little to block the noise.

Just as suddenly as it had started, the noise ceased, and Chewbacca growled curiously, wondering what the hated Imperials were up to now. A door at one end of the cell opened, and one stormtrooper held a blaster aimed at Chewbacca while another shoved Winter inside.

Almost as an afterthought, the trooper pushed a crate full of droid parts inside with his boot. "Get to work," he said in the flat, unemotional tone all stormtroopers seemed to have. The other trooper slammed the door behind them as they left.

Chewbacca asked Winter if she was all right, and though the young Alderaanian woman did not understand his language, she realized his intent, anyway.

"I'm fine, Chewbacca," she said, looking up at him. She smoothed a wrinkle out of her white jumpsuit, more to do something with her shaking hands than anything else, Chewbacca thought.

Chewbacca put a comforting arm around her shoulders, and she smiled gratefully, patting his furry hand. She looked down at the box full of parts, frowning slightly. "Do you think you can fix Threepio?" she asked.

The big Wookiee shrugged, growling a positive-sounding statement in his language.

As he sat down, the door to the cell opened again and Leia was shoved in, now wearing a white jumpsuit similar to Winter's. She glared furiously at the stormtroopers behind her, and they slammed the door in her face as they had before.

Leia turned from the door and embraced Winter. "Are you all right?" she asked her friend. "What have they done to you?"

"Nothing I can't handle," the other young woman replied. "They didn't even use the machine I saw in there."

"What machine?" Leia asked concernedly.

A scream answered her question, long and loud. It took Chewbacca several moments to recognize the voice of the man to whom he owed a life-debt, but once he did, he hurled himself at the door, roaring in rage as he pounded on the metal with his huge fists.

* * *

Lando winced as a man he'd called friend screamed, an agonized howl of pain unendurable. He didn't know what Lord Vader was doing to Han inside the room the Empire had commandeered, but by the sound of it, he didn't want to know.

The Baron-Administrator of Cloud City stood at one end of a long, curving hallway lined in red panels, just on the other side of the door to the chamber where Darth Vader and his troops had been 'questioning' the members of Han's crew. On the other side of the hall stood the bounty hunter Boba Fett, silent in his green Mandalorian armor, scarred from a thousand battles. Fett met Lando's eyes through the T-shaped visor of his helmet, totally inscrutable.

With a suddenness that made Lando flinch, the door hissed open and Vader stalked out, his long black cloak nearly filling the hallway as he set off at a rapid pace for the turbolift at the other end of the hall.

"Lord Vader," Lando began, but the Sith Master ignored him, brushing past.

"You may take Captain Solo to Jabba the Hutt after I have Skywalker," Vader said to the bounty hunter, glancing at him only briefly.

"He's no good to me dead," Fett said, sounding more apprehensive about the possible loss of money than out of any concern for Han's well-being.

"He will not be permanently damaged," Vader replied with a hint of a malicious smile, continuing on through the hall on his long legs. The others were forced to walk at close to a jog to keep up.

Lando hurried to catch up before Vader entered the turbolift. "Lord Vader, what about Leia and the others?" he asked.

The door hissed open in front of Vader, and he stepped inside the turbolift. "They must never again leave this city," he replied as he turned around.

Lando stepped forward, keeping the door from closing. "That was never a condition of our agreement!" he objected. "Nor was giving Han to this bounty hunter!"

Vader turned the full force of his glare on Lando. "Perhaps you think you're being treated unfairly?" he inquired, a note of warning beneath the deceptive mildness of his tone.

Lando swallowed nervously, feeling just a hint of pressure at his throat. "No."

"Good," Vader said coldly. "It would be unfortunate if I had to leave a garrison here."

An invisible pressure pushed Lando backwards a step, and the door to the turbolift closed in front of him.

Lando scowled as he turned around. "This deal is getting worse all the time," he said to himself.

Boba Fett gave him another unreadable look from behind his visor, though Lando thought it could perhaps have been admonishing. The bounty hunter said nothing as he marched off through the corridor, leaving Lando alone with his thoughts.

* * *

It took a long time to get Chewbacca calmed down, but he finally quieted after the screams stopped. Growling to himself, the big Wookiee set to work on putting Threepio back together, grumbling what were no doubt vile epithets in his language against the people hurting his friend. Leia understood his sentiments perfectly; she felt like adding a few curses of her own.

Leia looked up from her seat in the small, dimly lit cell next to Winter as the door opened and two stormtroopers unceremoniously tossed Han Solo inside. She rushed to catch him before he fell to the cold metal floor, aided by Winter.

"I feel terrible," said Han, weakly. He _looked_ terrible; he'd obviously received far worse treatment than any of the others.

Leia recognized the patterns of dark, burned spots on Han's white shirt beneath his jacket; Vader had obviously used his Force Lightning on him, just as he once had on her. She winced at the memory, realizing how much pain Han had to be in.

She and Winter helped Han onto one of the cold metal bunks, and Leia gently laid his head in her lap, lightly running her fingers through his hair. "Why are they doing this?" she said softly.

"I don't know," Han replied, groaning. "They never even asked me any questions."

Leia sighed quietly, leaning down to gently kiss his forehead.

"I suppose now we know what happened to Mara," Winter said sadly.

Leia began to nod in agreement, but suddenly frowned. She was having another of those odd feelings, and without thinking she spoke, only realizing the truth of her words as she gave voice to them. "I don't think so," she said suddenly. "She isn't anywhere near here, and she's not in pain, either."

Winter looked at her curiously, as did both Han and Chewbacca. "How do you know that?" Winter asked.

"That sounds like something Luke would say," Han said, looking up at her,

Before Leia could answer, the door opened again, but this time Lando Calrissian walked in, accompanied by two of his guards. Chewbacca growled savagely, taking a threatening step towards the gambler. The guards brought up their blasters and trained them on the Wookiee, and he reluctantly stopped, still snarling.

"Get out of here, Lando," Han snarled just as savagely as his friend, as he tried to get up.

"Shut up and listen to me a minute," Lando said, his face and the rest of his body tense. "I'm doing what I can to make things easier for you."

"This ought to be good," Han said caustically.

"Vader has agreed to turn you three over to me," Lando said, gesturing to Leia, Winter, and Chewbacca. "You'll have to stay here, but at least you'll be safe."

"What about Han?" Leia asked, her hand on the Corellian's arm as he shifted on the bunk. Somehow, she felt that he was about to spring up from the bunk at Lando, and Leia briefly debated whether or not to stop him.

"Vader's given Han to the bounty hunter," Lando said solemnly.

"He's lying," Winter said, gesturing beyond the cell. "Vader wants us all dead."

"He doesn't want you at all," Lando replied. "He's after somebody called Skywalker."

"Luke?" Leia said, surprised.

Lando nodded grimly. "Lord Vader has set a trap for him, and-"

"And we're the bait," Leia finished, suddenly understanding. After all the time he had spent chasing her and the other members of the Rebellion, Leia knew she suddenly didn't matter to the Sith Master anymore. She and her friends were only useful to him so far as they could help him catch his son.

"All this just to get the kid?" Han said.

Lando nodded. "He's on his way here right now."

"Luke's coming here?" Winter said, aghast. Leia felt the same way; Luke had no idea what was waiting for him here, and he'd be caught for sure.

"You fixed us all pretty good," Han growled, his muscles tensing, "-friend!"

As he said the last word, Han leaped from the bunk and hit Lando with a flying tackle, punching the other man repeatedly as they hit the floor.

Lando's guards quickly surged into motion, and they hauled the cursing Han off of their employer. One of them brutally kicked Han in the stomach, and the other hit him across the face with the butt of his blaster.

"Stop!" Lando shouted, and the guards immediately released Han. The gambler picked up his cape and slowly replaced it around his shoulders as he got to his feet. "I've done what I can for you. I'm sorry it's not better, but I've got my own problems."

"Yeah," Han sneered from the floor as Leia and Winter helped him up again. "You're a real hero."

Lando quickly left the cell, his guards behind him, but only once they were gone did Han finally allow his pain to show on his face. He groaned as his friends helped him up onto the bunk again, pressing a hand to his side where the guard had kicked him.

Leia sat down next to him, slowly shaking her head as she smiled despite the situation. "You certainly have a way with people," she teased. Han smiled slightly himself in reply.

* * *

Luke looked down at the huge pink ball that was Bespin, adjusting systems in his fighter as he approached the gas giant.

Artoo twittered behind him, and Luke glanced down at his screen for the translation. "Yes, I'm sure Threepio's with them," he said distractedly, his thoughts more on his friends and his sister.

His sister. How had neither of them ever figured it out before? He and Leia were alike in so many ways that it astonished Luke that it had taken him this long to realize the truth. She looked so much like his mother that he thought he would have known it immediately if he'd ever seen pictures of the two of them side by side.

But now she was in the hands of their father, and Luke grimly thought to himself that there were few worse places for her to be right now. Leia had no idea of her power, and Vader would almost certainly take advantage of this to twist his daughter into another of his followers. The Rebellion would be doomed; with that kind of power at his command, nothing in the universe could stop Vader from conquering the entire galaxy. There was little to stop him right now, Luke thought despondently. But no, he couldn't let himself think that way. If he gave up hope, he might as well give up entirely.

As his fighter soared down into Bespin's atmosphere, Luke tried his best to purge all emotions, to replace his worry with calm, his anger with peace. He knew only too well what would happen if he tried to face his father with even a trace of the Dark Side within him.

_I'm coming_, he thought out at his friends, not sure any of them could hear him. _Hold on._

* * *

Lando walked behind Vader as the Sith Master entered the large carbon-freezing room. The huge circular chamber was dimly lit, the only real illumination provided by orange safety lighting strips in the floor and ceiling. Steam hissed from a number of pipes, and the clanking of machinery filled the room.

Beside Vader walked one of the young women Han had had with him, the one who had disappeared - only she gave no indication of being a prisoner. Her long red-gold hair was now pulled back severely from her face, bound into a tight braid at her neck. She was dressed in a black Imperial uniform without insignia, like Vader's, and Lando saw once she turned to look at the chamber that a lightsaber hung from her belt.

When neither of them could see him, Lando glared at the young woman's back. Even if Vader hadn't forced him into this, Han and the others would still have been caught, trapped by Vader's spy that had been with them.

Startling Lando, the young woman looked back at him with penetrating green eyes, her face in an identical glare to his. But there was something in her eyes that gave Lando pause. She wasn't any happier to be part of this than he was, Lando realized.

"This facility is crude," Vader said, stopping midway around the chamber to look down at the central pit. "But it should be adequate for our needs."

"What do you mean?" Lando asked, an icy dread creeping through him as he guessed at the Dark Lord's plan.

Another young woman approached, this one dressed in black and dark gray robes, the orange light reflecting off of her short dark hair. "Ship approaching, my lord," the young woman said to Vader. "X-wing class."

"Good," Vader replied. "Monitor Skywalker and allow him to land."

The young Sith nodded and turned around, walking quickly out of the chamber.

"Skywalker is capable of giving us quite a bit of trouble," Vader said to Lando, still looking down at the central pit. "I intend to freeze him so that I can transport him to a more secure location."

Lando was aghast. "Lord Vader, we only use this facility for carbon freezing," he cautioned. "If you put him in there, it might kill him."

Vader looked back at him, his glowing blue mechanical eye casting eerie shadows across his face in combination with the orange lighting. Lando thought it gave his face a particularly demonic cast.

"I do not want him damaged," Vader said thoughtfully. "We will test it on Captain Solo."

Lando's eyes widened in horror at the pure evil of this man in front of him. To arbitrarily condemn a man to possible death, simply to test the machinery...

In that moment, Lando became a Rebel. If he lived through this, he was going to do everything in his power to see to it this terrible man was deposed. A man this casual with a sentient life was not worthy of making decisions that affected trillions of them.

Though Vader's spy was much better at hiding it than Lando, he noticed her eyes widen, as well. She hadn't been expecting this, Lando realized, and was just as horrified as he.

"Bring in the prisoners," Vader ordered calmly.

* * *

"You don't pick up any patrol ships, either?" Luke asked of his astromech.

Artoo whistled that he did not, reporting that he detected only commercial traffic around Cloud City.

Luke was relieved at this, though he was still troubled. Something wasn't right here. As he neared the huge white city he had seen in his vision, now convinced his arrival was undetected, he repeated his earlier silent reassurance.

_Hold on. I'm coming._

* * *

_Hold on. I'm coming._

Mara, standing at her master's side in the carbon freezing chamber, heard the words through the Force. It was all she could do to keep her face expressionless, her insides twisting with emotion as she realized Luke was here, ensnared in his father's trap.

She glanced over at Vader, who calmly watched as Han and the others were escorted in by Boba Fett and a squad of stormtroopers. She was horrified at his actions, and only through the great control he himself had taught her was Mara able to hide her thoughts from Vader.

This was not the same man who had found her when she was a child and raised her as if she were his daughter. The Darth Vader she had known growing up would never have casually condemned a man to death like this, just to see if the machinery was safe to do the same to his own son.

For all his talk of balance within the Force, Vader was clearly no longer following his own teachings. The… _thing_ that stood beside her like a great black specter was a creature of the Dark Side now, the very thing he had once so despised. What he was doing now was the exact sort of thing his Sith Master would have done. Vader had used Palpatine as a cautionary example to his students, explaining why it was so dangerous to immerse oneself too fully in the Dark Side - but now he was just as deep in the Dark Side himself, Mara knew.

She weathered the hateful looks Leia and the others sent her way as they now fully realized just who and what she was. Han and Leia both looked like they were ready to sprint across the chamber and strangle her with their bare hands, but Winter just seemed disappointed. Somehow, that made it worse.

Chewbacca bellowed across the chamber a dire Wookiee threat, not entirely translatable to Basic. The general sentiment was that if he ever got his paws on her, he was going to destroy her so thoroughly there wouldn't be enough of her left to feed to the katarns. The threat was so grave that it was reserved only for those who had betrayed the clan so heinously that they were no longer worthy to bear their own name.

Mara felt the term was entirely appropriate. Here were people she had lived and worked with for the last three years, people she had come to care about, even see as friends, and now she was doing nothing as they were about to be either killed or imprisoned by their enemies.

"I told you she was one of them," Threepio said from where he rode in a netting bag on Chewbacca's back, only partially reassembled. "She had the stormtroopers shoot me!"

Vader glanced down at her, then looked back over at the prisoners, a cruelly mocking smile quirking his lips. Mara's stomach sank even further.

Han, his arms bound at his sides, took a step closer to Lando, who stood in front of their group next to the freezing pit. "What's going on… buddy?" he said, putting sarcastic emphasis on the final word.

"You're being put into carbon freeze," Lando replied, his expression solemn. Mara could see from here that he felt similarly to her; he was being forced into this by the circumstances, and felt terrible about what he was doing.

"What if he doesn't survive?" Boba Fett asked Vader from the Sith Master's other side. "He's worth a lot to me."

"The Empire will compensate you if he dies," Vader replied casually. He gestured at the pit. "Put him in," he ordered.

At this, Chewbacca went berserk. Howling with rage, he smashed a stormtrooper over the side of the platform surrounding the carbon-freezing pit, surging toward his friend. Fett raised his blaster rifle, about to shoot, but Vader put a hand on the muzzle and shoved it down, still watching calmly.

"Hey! Chewie! Stop!" Han got in front of his friend, trying to calm him down. "Hey, this doesn't help me, okay? Save your strength. There'll be another time."

Reluctantly, Chewbacca allowed the stormtroopers surrounding their group to put binders on his hands.

"The others, you have to take care of them, all right?" Han said. "It's up to you now."

Growling quietly, Chewbacca relaxed and took a reluctant step back.

Next to him, Leia looked up at Han, and suddenly rushed over to him. She kissed him passionately, and he returned it as best he could with his arms bound behind his back.

Two stormtroopers grabbed hold of Han's arms and jerked them apart, pushing Han over to the platform in the center of the freezing pit.

"I love you!" Leia called over to Han, sorrow and frustration filling her face.

"I know," he replied softly, attempting a reassuring smile.

An Ugnaught removed the binders on Han's hands and pushed him back slightly, positioning him in the center of the slowly lowering platform. The small, pig-like alien scrambled clear of the apparatus and rushed over to the control panel, where another of its kind waited. Mara noticed Vader turn his head to watch the alien, no doubt memorizing the procedure.

Chewbacca bellowed again and again as the platform slowly lowered into the hissing, steaming pit, and Leia clung to his side, watching helplessly. Winter stood next to her, a comforting hand on her shoulder.

Han kept his eyes on Leia as long as he could, Mara saw, until the pit suddenly filled with cold vapors and he was hidden from sight.

A line of tears escaped Mara's control and slid down her cheek, the first in many, many years.

* * *

Leia had to turn away as the pit holding the man she loved filled with a cloud of bitter-smelling vapors and concealed him from her sight. Chewbacca threw back his head and let out a long, mournful howl. Even Threepio was silent for once. Winter was quiet beside her, but Leia could feel her friend's hand on her shoulder trembling.

As the steam cleared, Leia saw Darth Vader staring right at her, his glowing blue eye gleaming in the distorted air. There was a strange cast to his expression, an odd combination of malevolent amusement at what was happening and something that could almost have been apology directed at her.

Disturbed and confused, Leia glanced away, and her gaze was caught by the face of Mara Jade, standing next to the Sith Master with her arms clasped behind her back. Her face was stoically expressionless, but as Leia looked closer, she realized that Mara was crying, a slow line of tears sliding down her face as she stared at the cloudy pit. Her eyes glistened wetly in the otherworldly orange light.

With another of her strange feelings, Leia realized that Mara truly was upset at what was happening. Her hatred of this seeming traitor slowly faded, replaced with a sort of understanding. Mara was obviously a great deal more complicated than she'd seemed to Leia over the last few years. She wondered what the Imperial agent would do, here at this personal crisis.

Vader turned a sharply disappointed look on his student beside him and said something harshly reproving that Leia couldn't make out over the hissing of the machinery. Mara nodded fractionally and reached up to wipe away her tears with one gloved hand.

Leia's attention returned to the freezing chamber as the enormous grasping claw above the central slowly lowered with a great whirring of powerful motors. It emerged from the cloud of vapor with a dark gray rectangular block, a line of glowing monitors gleaming on both sides. Han's face, frozen in a pained expression, was clearly visible in the block, seeming almost as if he had been turned to stone.

With chilling indifference, the Ugnaught manning the console released the grasping claw, and the block of carbonite encasing Han tipped over and slammed against the metal grating of the floor.

Lando moved over to the block and knelt beside it, checking the monitors.

"Well, Calrissian?" Vader inquired, his eyes fixed on the Baron-Administrator. "Did he survive?"

"He's alive," Lando replied. "And in perfect hibernation."

Leia felt an enormous sense of relief at Lando's words. Winter's hand tightened on her shoulder, and Leia glanced over at her friend to see her with a small, tight smile on her face, quietly relieved. Leia smiled back in gratitude.

"He's all yours, bounty hunter," Vader said with a glance at Fett. He turned to the Ugnaught at the freezing chamber's controls. "Reset the chamber for Skywalker."

The young Sith woman Leia had seen earlier, the one with Kuati features and short dark hair, approached Vader as Boba Fett and the stormtroopers moved to take possession of the block of carbonite.

"Skywalker has just landed, my lord," the young woman reported.

"Good," said Vader. "See to it that he finds his way in here."

As the young woman moved off, she met Leia's eyes briefly with a meaningful look. Leia was puzzled at this, but kept her face expressionless.

Vader turned to Mara. "The princess stays with me," he told her. "Take the others to my shuttle."

"Now, wait a minute!" Lando objected hotly. "The deal was that they were supposed to stay here!"

"I am altering the deal," Vader snapped as he turned to the gambler, a clear note of threat in his voice. "Pray I don't alter it any further."

Lando brought one hand up to his throat, swallowing nervously. Leia felt an odd sense of power emanating from Vader, and as it stopped, Lando sucked in a deep breath, as if he had been unable to breathe for a moment.

As she realized what had just happened, something clicked within Leia's mind. The Force! Her odd feelings had to be the Force, that great power Luke often described to her. Somehow, Leia realized with surprise, she was able to touch the Force now, just as he was.

Vader turned a knowing look on her then, smiling in both satisfaction and, oddly, pride. As the others left the carbon freezing chamber, he kept eye contact, and Leia was mesmerized by his penetrating gaze, unable to move.

"You know now, don't you?" Vader said with grim satisfaction.

Leia realized they were alone, and she shrank back a step from his terrible presence. "What are you going to do with me?" she asked nervously.

"Teach you," Vader replied. "You are powerful, young one, more than you know. You will make a mighty Sith."

A hot flow of objection rose to the surface, and Leia allowed it to rise, sneering at him. "And what makes you think I have any intention of letting that happen?" she spat defiantly.

"You have little choice in the matter," Vader said with chilling finality. "You will learn alongside my son."

"Luke will never join you!" Leia said, growing bolder now. "And neither will I!"

Vader merely smiled enigmatically in reply.

* * *

With Artoo at his side, Luke quickly but quietly made his way through the wide white halls of Cloud City, one hand on the blaster at his side. His lightsaber bumped against his leg with every step, and Luke was comforted by its familiar weight.

He was, however, concerned that no one had stopped him thus far. He hadn't been asked for landing clearance, no one had been there to question him as to the purpose of his visit, and indeed, he had seen no other sentients on his way here. Cloud City seemed ominously deserted.

The Force crackled around him in warning; his father was here, somewhere nearby, and he knew Luke was here, as well. The young warrior felt a subtle pull on his consciousness, summoning him deeper into the city.

Steeling himself, Luke followed the pull, knowing he had to answer the call. On his way, he caught sight of a group of people moving through an intersection ahead, and he ducked behind an open doorway as he recognized the familiar white armor of the stormtroopers.

Luke also recognized the bounty hunter Boba Fett, walking ahead of a group of blue-uniformed guards who escorted a hovering block of dark gray metal. He thought he could see a human figure that seemed to be encased in the block, and was puzzled at this.

But he paused in shock at seeing who was walking behind the hovering block. He almost didn't recognize her at first, since her hair was pulled back into an uncharacteristic tight braid and she was wearing a black Imperial uniform, but as he got a better look at her face, Luke was startled to realize the woman was none other than Mara Jade.

The implications were overwhelming. Mara was an Imperial agent? His vision was true then; she _did_ serve Vader!

Luke was almost too surprised to process the rest of the scene, but he recognized the huge brown hulk of Chewbacca, who had a black netting bag containing Threepio slung over his back, the droid's unattached legs at the bottom. Ahead of Chewbacca walked an unfamiliar dark-skinned man in a blue cape, leading a mixed group of the blue-uniformed guards and white-armored stormtroopers that surrounded the Wookiee and Winter. Luke noted that both Leia and Han were absent, and he wondered where they were.

Boba Fett suddenly turned and fired several bolts at Luke, and the young warrior ducked further behind the doorway, pulling his blaster in preparation to fire back.

Fett, Mara, and the blue-uniformed guards rushed the dark gray block through the door at the end of their hall, but the group led by the unfamiliar man hung back for a moment.

As Luke looked around the doorway, Winter saw him and tried to break away from the guards. "Luke, don't!" she shouted to him. "It's a trap!"

The stormtroopers grabbed her and muscled her ahead, through the doorway, but she broke away for a moment, her hands on the wall next to the door. "It's a trap!" she shouted again, before a few of the troopers laid down covering fire and forced Luke behind his own door again.

When the blaster fire ceased, the door had shut behind them. Luke cautiously moved ahead, ready to go after them, but suddenly, all of the open doors in that section of the corridor slammed closed, including the one behind him. He heard Artoo's startled shriek as the little barrel-shaped droid managed to pull back just in time to avoid being crushed.

Alone, Luke moved down the corridor on the only path available to him, drawn inexorably forward by his father's presence. The only open door led into a small, dark anteroom, filled with hissing pipes and whirring, clanking machinery in stark contrast to the quiet white halls outside. Luke holstered his blaster and instead took out his lightsaber as he explored the small room, keeping the hilt in his hand but not igniting the blade just yet.

Without warning, a hatch hissed open above him and the section of floor upon which he was standing abruptly lurched upward, whisking him into a new room.

Luke recognized the wide, circular room from his vision, and as he looked around the dimly lit chamber, bathed in otherworldly orange light, he extended his senses out through the Force, knowing he was not alone despite the deserted appearance of the room.

A great cloud of steam belched forth from the pit at the center of the chamber, and when it cleared, an enormous black shape stood at the top of the stairs on the opposite side of the platform, starkly silhouetted in the ethereal orange light. A glowing blue eye cast eerie shadows over the dark figure's face, contrasting with the orange glow illuminating him from below.

He looked like nothing so much as a demon suddenly appeared from some underworld too terrible to imagine, huge and ominously threatening.

For the first time in his life, Luke Skywalker heard his father speak to him in person.

"The Force is with you, my son," Darth Vader boomed down from his perch, his deep voice echoing slightly in the cavernous chamber. "But you are not a Jedi yet."

* * *

-/\\-


	21. II,8: The Rescue

-/\\-

* * *

**Eight**  
(The Rescue)

Mara Jade walked behind the hovering dark gray block of carbonite containing the frozen Han Solo, her eyes on the deadly bounty hunter at the block's other end.

Ever since Vader had ordered Han frozen in carbonite, a plot had been formulating in the back of Mara's mind, carefully concealed behind her mental shields, and she was sure her master had no inkling of what she was planning.

No, Mara thought firmly; Darth Vader was her master no longer. He had broken all ties to her, forfeited any right to command her as he had in the past, when he casually condemned Han to his fate, callous and indifferent to the outcome. He was too far gone from the man she had once so respected. She could not loyally serve the man he had become and still live with herself.

Her decision made, Mara took the first step in forever severing her ties to her former master.

"Escort them to Lord Vader's shuttle," Mara ordered the stormtroopers and the blue-uniformed Cloud City security officers. "I'll take this to Hunter Fett's ship myself." She gestured with feigned coldness at the frozen Corellian.

Everyone except Boba Fett moved off to join the group surrounding Winter and Chewbacca, who had the partially reassembled droid C-3PO in a netting bag on his back. Calrissian gave her a curious look, but to maintain her cover, Mara merely glared at him in reply, silently ordering him to obey with all the arrogance of a Sith.

Chewbacca gave her a last, threatening snarl before their group moved off down another hallway, promising the deadliest revenge should they meet again.

Ignoring him, Mara gestured off toward the landing pad where Fett's vessel _Slave I_ waited, and the grim warrior inclined his head, marching off to his ship.

As they emerged into the open air, Mara pushing the frozen Han before her on the repulsorlift cushion mounted under the carbonite block, Fett turned his helmeted head back toward her. "Put Captain Solo in the cargo hold," the bounty hunter said, gesturing with one gauntleted hand at his sleek vessel on the round pad beyond.

Mara nodded, moving as if to comply, but as soon as Fett had turned around again, she gathered the Force to herself and threw her arm out toward the hunter, sending a powerful telekinetic shove at his head and shoulders.

Fett stumbled, off-balanced, and Mara shoved again, toppling him over the side of the walkway. He had time only for a startled shout before he disappeared, his blaster firing once in a useless shot back at her that missed by several meters.

Mara immediately shoved the block of carbonite back through the door, pushing with all her might to send it sailing into the hall beyond. She started after it, but suddenly, a cable wrapped around her ankles and sent her sprawling forward. She clipped her chin on the heavy block before it soared into the doorway without her, and she hit the ground heavily, sending her breath out of her in a startled gust.

Boba Fett, who had a death-grip on the edge of the platform with one hand, pulled back on the cable extending out of his other gauntlet, jerking Mara off-balance as she tried to get up.

Mara pulled her lightsaber from her belt and ignited its magenta blade, sweeping it down to sever the cable binding her ankles. She rolled away as Fett cocked his other gauntlet at her and sent a powerful stream of flame coursing down the walkway.

Fett activated the jetpack on his back in a short burst, sending the armored warrior sailing up in a long arc toward her. Mara shoved with the Force and sent him crashing into his ship, but the bounty hunter, with almost superhuman reflexes, cut his rocket pack and grabbed onto a protuberance on the hull of his vessel, enabling him to land on his feet.

He immediately pulled a blaster from his belt and fired repeatedly at her, but Mara expertly deflected the bolts aside with her lightsaber. Even four years out of practice, the forms endlessly drilled into her by Vader and her other instructors returned immediately, surging up to join her along with the powerful current of the Force.

Mara allowed herself to be pushed back along the walkway, headed for the silent block of carbonite waiting next to the enormous door at the end. Fett saw what she was doing and sent another stream of flame out at her from his gauntlet, but Mara pushed it aside with the Force, in the next second sending a long, crackling burst of purple-blue lightning from her fingertips at the hunter.

The blast of Force Lightning caught Boba Fett full in the chest, and he stumbled backwards, screaming in pain. Mara kept up the burst until he had fallen back, twisting as he fell to land heavily on his chest.

Mara cautiously watched the fallen hunter for a moment as he lay there, his armor smoking, and once she was sure he wouldn't be getting up anytime soon, she turned and ran for the door.

She shoved the block the final meter inside the hallway, and turned to punch the controls for the heavy durasteel door. It slammed closed with an echoing clang, but only a moment after it did so, Mara heard the muffled sound of an explosion as the astonishingly quick-to-recover Fett launched a rocket grenade into the barrier. The huge, thick door bulged slightly at the place where the grenade had impacted, but otherwise remained intact.

Satisfied the door would hold Fett for at least a few moments, Mara grabbed hold of the carbonite block and hauled it around, racing as fast as she could for the _Millennium Falcon_'s landing pad further down the complex.

Her legs burned as she ran as fast as she could down the halls, pushing the frozen Han in front of her, but Mara ignored the pain, knowing Fett would have reported her actions to Vader by now. Every stormtrooper in Cloud City would be racing for the _Falcon_ in an attempt to beat her there, she knew. She had to be faster.

Mara was almost there when a sudden, powerful burst of Force Lightning caught her in the side and back, hurling her all the way across the hall to slam with incredible force against the wall.

Gasping in pain, Mara tried to get up, feeling like her entire body was on fire. She heard the unmistakable sound of a lightsaber igniting next to her, and as she struggled to roll over, the tip of the scarlet blade appeared in front of her eyes.

She looked up to see the tall, dark shape of Darth Nova standing over her, his eyes burning a hateful yellow as he glared down at her in incredible wrath.

"_Traitor!_" he snarled, the word an almost animal growl. He was breathing heavily, his fury so great the walls around them were actually beginning to smoke and melt. The sharp smell of burning plastic assaulted her nostrils, nearly making Mara gag on the stench.

"I will burn your flesh from your bones for this," Nova snarled between clenched teeth. "But I will leave you alive for whatever punishment Lord Vader has for you."

Mara made no reply, simply pulling her lightsaber into her hand with the Force. She smashed Nova's blade aside with her own, leaping to her feet. The Sith Lord roared with rage as he sent another blindingly bright stream of Force Lightning at her, but Mara managed to catch it on her lightsaber and deflect it aside, where it blew a hole in the wall panel beside her.

Screaming with anger, Nova charged at her again.

* * *

A squad of Imperial stormtroopers surrounded Winter and Chewbacca, following Lando toward Darth Vader's shuttle. The Alderaanian woman and the Wookiee were silent as they walked along, but their droid was not.

"I simply cannot believe Mistress Mara would betray us!" Threepio said, waving his one functional arm from the bag on Chewbacca's back. "I would never have believed she was an Imperial spy! Oh, this is going to be so hard on Master Luke," he said sadly.

Lando ignored the droid as he approached the upcoming intersection, where his assistant Lobot waited with a dozen more of the blue-uniformed security officers. He nodded fractionally to Lobot, and the other man nodded slightly in response, the overhead lighting reflecting from his shaved head and the gleaming metal implant that wrapped around the back of his skull.

At a quick gesture from Lobot, the Cloud City security officers suddenly raised their blasters, aiming them at the stormtroopers, and the Imperials halted in confusion.

"Take them to the security tower," Lando said to Lobot. "And keep it quiet."

The cyborg nodded, and he and the security guards surrounded the troopers, gesturing for them to put their hands up and surrender their weapons.

Lando turned around and grabbed the blaster rifles from the two nearest troopers, handing one to Winter, who regarded him with a surprised look.

"What are you doing?" she asked.

"I'm getting you out of here," Lando replied, unlocking the binders on Chewbacca's hands.

But as soon as his hands were free, the big Wookiee snarled and wrapped his paws around Lando's throat. Lando gasped, trying to pry the Wookiee off of him, but he just wasn't strong enough.

"Chewbacca, stop!" Winter said, putting a hand on his arm, but the Wookiee only tightened his grip.

Lando tried to explain, but he couldn't get any air. Black spots streamed in front of his eyes, and he felt the world going dark around him.

"Chewbacca!" Winter said sharply. "Let go!"

The Wookiee's grip slackened, and Lando sucked in a strained breath. "Han," he gasped out, though his voice was rough.

"What did he say?" Winter asked.

"It sounds like 'Han'," Threepio said from Chewbacca's back. "Let go of him, you woolly barbarian!" the droid exclaimed. "He's trying to tell us something."

"There's still a chance to save Han," Lando strained out. "At the east platform!"

Chewbacca finally let go completely, and Lando sank to his knees, breathing heavily. Winter helped him to his feet and handed him a blaster rifle.

"Come on," she said. "We'll need your help."

Lando massaged his throat with one hand, still gasping for breath as he followed them down the hall, intent on rescuing their friend.

* * *

Luke Skywalker stood at the bottom of a short flight of steps in the dimly lit carbon-freezing chamber, his lightsaber in hand. At the top of those steps stood the menacing black specter of Darth Vader, his hands hidden by the drape of his cloak around him, calmly looking down at his son.

Midway around the platform surrounding the freezing pit sat Princess Leia, watching as father and son regarded each other silently for a moment. She could feel the power crackling around the two men, and it seemed to her that both of them shone bright as beacons, though no light was visible.

"There is no need for us to fight," Vader said.

"I can't let you have her, Father," Luke replied with equal calm. "I won't allow you to twist Leia into one of your followers."

"There is no 'twisting' involved," Vader retorted. "I use the Force as it is meant to be used, and soon both you and she will see the truth."

Luke took a step forward, glancing over at Leia for a moment. Leia saw both great determination and affection in his expression, and she was reassured, knowing he would do his best to get her away from this monster. She dimly felt him brush her mind comfortingly in the Force, and marveled at the sensation, unlike anything she had felt before.

Above, Vader nodded in acceptance and ignited his lightsaber. The ruby beam cast blood-red shadows on his face, making the Sith Master appear even more sinister.

Luke activated his own weapon, and the sapphire beam surged out with a loud _snap-hiss_, humming in the peculiar way Jedi weapons did as he raised his blade into a guard position.

With a challenging shout, Vader leaped down the steps, his cloak flaring out like wings behind him as he raised his blade over his head. As he landed, he smashed his blade against his son's, and Leia winced as Luke was forced a step backwards.

The younger Skywalker pivoted on one foot, keeping his blade raised as he snapped a kick out at his father's leg. Vader leaped over the kick, whirling his blade down in a furious series of quickly moving circular slashes as he landed.

Luke blocked them all, moving his shining blue weapon expertly through a defensive pattern. He halted a heavy blow meant for his torso and shoved the other blade away, advancing with a spinning slash that he followed up with a sequence of diagonal chops, forcing Vader backwards.

"Obi-Wan has taught you well," Vader said as they paused, weapons in guard position. He snapped his scarlet blade out in a thrust, which Luke neatly parried, forcing his father's blade out and downwards. "You have controlled your fear."

Luke did not reply, advancing with a heavy, two-handed overhead slash. Vader angled his blade horizontally and caught the slash, deflecting it to the side. Their weapons locked, Vader looked over the blades at his son.

"You are restricting yourself!" he goaded. "You only use half the power available to you."

Again, Luke said nothing, but he pulled back and quickly whirled, slamming his blade against Vader's six times in rapid succession, taking a step forward. The glowing, humming energy weapons sparked and crackled each time they touched, humming like a colony full of dangerous insects as the two men swung them with superhuman speed.

Leia watched in awed fascination as father and son drove each other around the platform, both seeming to be equally skilled and unable to overcome the other. At times, each would attempt to outmaneuver the other through an acrobatic flip, vaulting through the air in an attempt to get behind the other. But each time, either Luke or Vader would manage to sidestep the other's charge, spinning to keep their glowing weapons between them.

Finally, Luke tried again, somersaulting over Vader's head, and the Sith Master, instead of spinning to catch the swing of his son's lightsaber, stepped to the side and thrust out his hand. Luke tumbled through the air as Vader's Force push altered his trajectory, and he slammed heavily into the mass of tubing above the central freezing pit. Leia gasped as he fell inside, out of sight.

Vader immediately turned and activated the console next to Leia with the Force, pulling the lever that filled the chamber with carbonite. The chamber hissed, and a billowing cloud of steam poured out, obscuring them both from Leia's view.

"All too easy," the Sith Master said, sounding disappointed. "Perhaps you are not as powerful as I thought."

But even as he spoke, Leia caught a flicker of movement above the Dark Lord's head; Luke had leaped back up to the ceiling of the chamber, and was clinging to the grasping claw with his legs and one hand, his deactivated lightsaber in the other.

"You'll find I'm full of surprises," Luke taunted from his perch.

Vader looked up, a darkly approving smile crossing his face. "Impressive," he said appreciatively. "Most impressive."

Luke ignited his lightsaber and slashed one of the hoses surrounding the grasping claw. With his other hand, he grabbed the hose and shoved it in Vader's face, blinding him for a moment with the freezing cloud pouring out of the severed end.

But even as Vader spun away from the cloud, he seized Luke with the Force and hurled him across the chamber. Luke crashed into the stairs with a pained groan, and his lightsaber flew from his hand, skittering away across the metal grating of the floor.

Vader swooped in, his lightsaber held high, and Leia could see from where she sat that Luke would not be able to recover in time.

Desperately, she drew on her newfound power, and to her relieved surprise, Luke's lightsaber leaped into her hand. She ignited the blade as she jumped to her feet, and just as Vader swung down at the fallen Luke, she thrust the glowing sapphire blade in front of him, catching the heavy slash.

The force behind the blow nearly ripped the lightsaber from her hands, but Leia tightened her grip, looking up at the Sith Master resolutely.

"Excellent!" the Dark Lord exclaimed in delight. "You are indeed powerful!"

Luke looked up at Leia from beneath the crossed blades, surprised. Truthfully, Leia wasn't any less surprised than he; she hadn't expected her desperate gambit to work at all.

But then another sudden realization gripped Leia: Vader had done that on purpose to goad her into tapping into her power. He _wanted_ her to use the Force, to discover what she could do.

Luke scrambled backwards and got to his feet, one hand stretched out toward Leia to take back his weapon, but Vader viciously backhanded him with his mechanical arm, and Luke tumbled away, dropping over the edge of the platform with a surprised cry.

Leia slowly backed away from Vader, trying to hold the unfamiliar weapon in her hands the way Luke had, and tried fiercely to calm her wildly beating heart. She was all alone against Vader now, and she was painfully aware of her vulnerability.

She might be able to touch the Force, she knew, but she had no idea how to control it, or how to wield the weapon she held.

Vader advanced, bringing up his blade in preparation for a strike.

* * *

Mara felt the repulsorlift supporting the block of carbonite strain under her added weight as she leaped atop the block, dodging a slash of Darth Nova's lightsaber.

The Sith Lord sent out an overwhelmingly powerful Force shove that knocked Mara head over heels, and she hit the back of her head sharply on the far end of the carbonite block before toppling to the ground to land heavily on her stomach.

Mara gasped for breath, forcing herself to get up and hold her lightsaber defensively as Nova came flying over the floating block, his scarlet lightsaber gouging a chunk out of the floor where her head had been a moment earlier.

Her lungs straining, her muscles protesting, and her bones aching, Mara determinedly forced herself to her feet, raising her lightsaber again. Her body hurt so badly that every movement sent another lance of fiery pain coursing through her, but she could not give up. She had sworn to make sure Han and the other Rebels escaped this city, and she would make that happen even if it cost her her life.

Nova seemed intent on making sure it would go that far, wildly swinging his lightsaber at her in a furious offensive pattern, slicing great gouges out of the walls as he pursued her down the hall, screaming in rage.

With a mighty yell of effort, Nova seized the block of carbonite with the Force and swung it at Mara like a battering ram. She dropped to the floor, letting it pass over her, and as soon as it had passed, she jumped to her feet and ignited her lightsaber again. Nova advanced, making as if to charge, but Mara felt a sudden flare of warning, and started to throw herself into a back-flip.

Nova was too fast, though, and the block of carbonite struck her knees just as she began the flip, making her slam into it hard enough to force the breath from her lungs. Mara's lightsaber flew from her hand, and as the block shifted violently, she dropped to the floor, stunned.

Nova grinned malevolently as she gasped for breath, and slowly stalked down the hall towards her. He shoved the floating block aside contemptuously, sending it over to bump into the opposite wall. Mara gritted her teeth against the pain in her back, trying with all her might to get up again. But a heavy invisible hand slapped her back down against the floor, holding her there as Nova approached.

Mara tried to reach out for her lightsaber, gasping against the crushing pressure on her chest, but as Nova stepped closer, he slowly, mockingly placed his boot on the hilt of her weapon and swept it backward through the hall, sending it skittering along the floor until it bumped against the far door, one she had closed behind her in an attempt to slow Fett down.

Now that door trapped her. There was nowhere for Mara to go, no place to escape.

As she struggled to free herself from Nova's powerful grip, Mara realized that wasn't quite right. The other door a few meters away led out to the landing pad on which the _Millennium Falcon_ perched, waiting.

With a desperate surge of effort, Mara threw out her hand and again summoned a chain of Force Lightning, sending it surging out at her former ally. Nova caught one of the bolts on his lightsaber, but as Mara increased the strength of the stream, other twitching fingers of lightning impacted his chest and shoulders, and he stumbled back, crying out in pain.

The crushing grip holding her on the floor vanished, and as soon as it did, Mara held out her hand and called her lightsaber to her. The instant the familiar hilt touched her palm, she turned and ran for the door, manipulating the controls with the Force as she did so.

Nova pursued, howling with rage, and Mara had to ignore the pain coming from almost every part of her body as she ran out into the open air. Some of her hair had escaped the braid at her neck during her battles, and now the wind whipped it around her head, sending long red-gold strands fluttering in front of her eyes.

Mara backed toward the _Falcon_, igniting her magenta lightsaber again, and hastily clawed her hair out of her eyes with one hand. Nova, his own lightsaber held high, gathered an enormous amount of power to himself in preparation for something big. Mara's thoughts whirled as she tried to think of a way to counter whatever he was about to do, trying to sense where he was directing his energy so that she could avoid the attack.

But, it turned out that she would never know what Nova had been planning to do; a bright red blaster bolt lanced out from the doorway and slammed into Nova's shoulder from behind, knocking him off-balance. Mara took advantage of his momentary misstep to hurl more Force Lightning into his chest and face, driving him further backwards.

Snarling, Nova advanced despite the lightning pouring into him, struggling to raise his lightsaber again, but then a virtual rain of blaster bolts peppered him from behind. Mara dropped her lightsaber and ran forward, determined to ensure his end.

Leaping with all her might, Mara tackled Nova over the side of the walkway. He sent his own surge of Force Lightning into her as they fell, and Mara screamed at the agonizing pain, but it was too late; there was nothing for Nova to grab onto.

Through an extraordinary stroke of luck, Mara was able to seize a bracing support on the underside of the walkway, and she tightened her grip with all her fading strength, watching as Nova tumbled out of control into the endless sky below.

Mara felt her muscles cramping from the terrible exertion she'd placed on them, and her trembling fingers slowly began to slacken their grip on the metal brace despite her frantic attempts to hang on.

Above, the faces of Winter, Calrissian, and Chewbacca appeared over the side of the walkway, looking down at her.

"Help me!" Mara screamed up at them. "Please, help!"

"Hold on!" Lando shouted down. "We're coming!" He turned to the Wookiee beside him. "Quick, go get a cord from the _Falcon_!"

But the Wookiee did not move. He bared his teeth down at Mara, snarling in his language that she was about to get what she deserved; he had no intention whatsoever of helping her.

Lando turned in confusion and desperation to Winter, standing coldly on his other side. "We can't just let her fall!" he exclaimed. "We have to help her!"

Winter looked down at Mara with a coolly aloof expression. "Were you trying to save Han?" she called down, her voice maddeningly calm.

"Yes!" Mara shouted desperately. "I don't serve the Empire anymore! You have to believe me, I was trying to help!"

Winter was silent for three agonizingly drawn-out heartbeats, looking down at Mara, but finally, she nodded. "All right," she said, looking over at Chewbacca. "Go get some cord." The Wookiee snarled in objection, but Winter's eyes blazed. "Now!" she said firmly, an unmistakable note of command in her voice.

Chewbacca growled quietly, but acquiesced and jogged off toward the _Falcon_, followed by Lando. Winter remained where she was.

"Do you swear you have left the service of the Empire?" she said, kneeling at the edge of the walkway. The wind whipped her long white hair around her head, but she was otherwise motionless, staring down at Mara with a penetrating gaze.

"Yes!" Mara answered, meaning it fully. "I can't serve Vader anymore. I really do want to help you stop him now."

Winter smiled slightly then. "I believe you," she said.

Chewbacca reappeared, holding a length of sturdy black strapping, and he lowered one weighted end to her. Mara gratefully seized the woven cord, holding on tightly with both hands as she let go of the support.

For a long moment, Chewbacca left her dangling where she was, his muscles bulging beneath his fur. He growled down to her that if she gave even the slightest indication of betraying them again, he would rip her to shreds. She nodded understandingly, and with a mighty heave, he pulled her up onto the metal walkway.

As she collapsed, gasping, on the cold metal, Mara saw Luke's astromech come flying around a corner, whistling frantically. Winter stopped where she stood, tucking Mara's lightsaber into her pocket, and raised the blaster rifle she held in her other hand.

"Artoo!" Threepio exclaimed from Chewbacca's back. "Where did you come from?"

The little droid whistled and tweeted with frantic speed, and Threepio emitted an electronic gasp. "He says there are stormtroopers right behind him!" the protocol droid wailed. "Quickly, Chewbacca, get us out of here!"

The Wookiee turned and jogged off for the _Falcon_, leaving Mara where she lay, and she heard a metallic thunk as Threepio's head banged against the hull when Chewbacca forgot to duck. As Mara got up, she heard the protocol droid's prissy voice berating the Wookiee for his clumsiness, answered by a growled exhortation to shut up.

Mara and Winter stopped next to the ramp for a moment to retrieve Han, the carbonite block hovering next to the starship where Chewbacca had left it, and while Mara pushed the heavy carbonite block back toward the _Falcon,_ Winter laid down a stream of fire, forcing the white-armored troopers to duck behind cover.

Lando reappeared at the ramp, firing with his own blaster, and he waved Mara aboard, increasing his rate of fire. Carefully, Mara maneuvered the awkward rectangular block up the ramp, and let out a frustrated curse when it thunked against the hatchway, just a few centimeters too wide. As several bolts fired by the stormtroopers smashed into the hull of the _Falcon_ around them, Lando reached back and placed a hand on the edge of the carbonite block. After firing twice more with his blaster, he turned and shoved upwards with all his might.

The block containing the _Millennium Falcon_'s frozen captain tilted diagonally, and both Mara and Lando pushed it inside, where, with a strained whine, the repulsorlift finally gave out. The block slammed with a heavy _clank _on the deck, and Mara nearly tripped over it as she pulled herself inside.

Winter and Lando backed up the ramp, firing repeatedly at the pursuing Imperial troops, and once they were both aboard, Mara slapped the ramp control. The ramp raised into position, and the hatch hissed closed behind the others as they moved into the main hold of the ship.

Lando headed up to the cockpit, and Winter followed him, stopping to toss her blaster rifle inside an open storage compartment on the way. Mara sank into the acceleration couch behind the dejarik gameboard, grimacing at the pain from her numerous injuries.

Nearby, Artoo had freed Threepio from the netting bag Chewbacca had dumped against the couch and was hastily repairing his counterpart, his small arc welder flashing brightly.

The astromech burbled an amused-sounding comment, and the protocol droid snapped back with, "Of course I've looked better! Hurry up!"

Mara smiled despite the situation, but gasped as a sharp impact suddenly rocked the _Falcon_ and sent her painfully into the table in front of her.

Winter raced back into the main hold, her eyes going right to Mara. "Get in the bottom turret!" she called as she approached.

"What's going on?" Mara asked as she got up. Another impact nearly sent her to the floor, and only a firm grip on the back of the couch kept her upright.

"Boba Fett!" Winter exclaimed breathlessly as she pushed Mara along toward the turrets. "He's coming after us!"

Mara let out a second frustrated curse as she scrambled down the ladder to the belly turret. This was all they needed!

* * *

Darth Nova slowly hauled himself up the ladder leading to _Slave I_'s cockpit, trying to ignore the pain from his broken leg. He'd struck the hatchway at an awkward angle when the bounty hunter had swooped under him to catch him, not bothering to make his catch gentle. Combined with the injuries he'd sustained during his fight with Jade, Nova was now in an extremely foul temper.

"My thanks for your assistance, Hunter Fett," Nova growled sarcastically as he limped inside.

Boba Fett turned an indifferent look on him, briefly glancing over his shoulder. "I could have just let you drop," he said pointedly. "Now sit down, unless you want to break your other leg."

Nova glared darkly at the bounty hunter as he lowered himself into one of the seats behind the pilot's chair, and not a moment too soon, for Fett whipped his sleek vessel through a sharp turn, nearly turning it upside down as he roared after the fleeing _Millennium Falcon_, firing repeatedly with multiple banks of laser cannons.

The Sith Lord hurriedly buckled the safety webbing on his chair, and then held on tightly as Boba Fett did what he did best.

* * *

Leia gritted her teeth as she blocked a heavy, two-handed slash from Vader, bracing her feet beneath her. She was amazed she'd managed to last this long, but she could not hold out for much longer, she knew.

Vader quickly swept his lightsaber out and down, then back overhand in another smash. This time, Leia knew better, and she spun out of the way, wincing as the Dark Lord's blade slashed through the control console for the carbon freezing pit.

Steam belched out of the pit, and the horrible cacophony of screeching machinery followed it as the pit began to overload, pumping more and more carbonite without the usual safety precautions. Sparks erupted from the grasping claw, and with a terrible screech of twisting metal, it dropped down into the pit, gouging a chunk from the side as it crashed.

Through all of this, Leia and Vader traded blows with their lightsabers. The princess fumbled once, and when Vader pointedly refrained from taking advantage of the opportunity, Leia realized he was just toying with her, trying to provoke her into an angry reaction.

She was only too happy to oblige. With a wild series of barely controlled slashes, Leia forced the Sith Master back toward the edge of the platform around the freezing pit. Han's face just before the steam had hidden him from view kept surging through her mind, fueling her anger against this evil man.

Vader grinned broadly at the display, easily turning aside each of her slashes, but his satisfied grin faltered as she suddenly swept her blade against his with more force than he'd been expecting, knocking it aside.

Leia took advantage of her opportunity and lashed out with a kick that landed solidly against Vader's chest. He grunted in surprise as he toppled backwards, his cloak fluttering as he fell.

The princess looked down into the steam-filled darkness below the outer edge of the platform, but saw neither the Sith Master or Luke anywhere. She closed down the lightsaber and, keeping it ready in one hand, cautiously swung her legs over the edge of the platform and let herself drop.

Leia landed in a large control and maintenance room that overlooked the huge reactor that powered the entire city. The walls were paneled in red, seeming to Leia's nervous imagination to be the color of dried blood, and though there were a number of windows along the passage in which she found herself, it was dim and difficult to see.

The long hallway and the room beyond were eerily silent but for the howl of the wind in the huge shaft beyond the windows. Leia cautiously moved down the hallway, listening for any noise, but heard nothing to indicate that she was not alone.

That was why, when Darth Vader suddenly appeared from behind a corner, shouting fiercely as he ignited his lightsaber and slashed out at her, Leia was so startled that she nearly dropped the lightsaber clutched in her hand.

Vader was plainly done toying with her now. A furious scowl twisting his face, he grabbed hold of the collar of her jumpsuit and mercilessly slammed Leia into the wall. Stunned from the impact, she went limp and dropped her weapon, but roaring with anger, he drew back his arm and slammed her into the wall again.

Leia dropped to the floor, and Vader swooped in, holding the tip of his blade a few centimeters above her throat.

"You are beaten!" he said, his tone deadly serious now. "It is useless to resist!"

Breathing heavily, Leia glared up at the Dark Lord hatefully, but remained silent. She heard running footsteps behind her, and both she and Vader glanced up the passageway to see Luke sprinting over to them, a determined look in his eye.

Vader gestured casually, and a length of pipe leaped from the wall and tripped the young man, sending him sprawling. Before Luke could get to his feet, the pipe jumped up, bent with a protesting groan, and wrapped itself around his torso before slamming both ends into the wall, securing Luke there. He struggled, but to no avail; he was as beaten as Leia.

Vader looked back down at Leia over his lightsaber. "I feel the anger in you, young one," he said, his expression one of... pride? Leia was confused. "Release your hate," Vader continued. "It can make you stronger."

"I know enough to know that's not true," Leia said, glancing back at Luke, who was still trying to free himself from the length of pipe. "Luke has told me about the Dark Side."

Vader's lips quirked slightly in a smirk. "My son is... misguided," he said. "He will see the truth in time, as will you."

"Don't listen to him, Leia!" Luke shouted, grunting with exertion as he continued to struggle.

"You are powerful, Leia," Vader said, ignoring his son. "The Force is strong with you, just as strongly as it is with me and my son. You do not yet realize your importance."

Leia crawled backwards a few centimeters, inching toward Luke's lightsaber. Vader frowned and followed her throat with his lightsaber in silent warning. She fell still, propped up on her elbows.

"You've always known you were adopted, haven't you?" Vader asked, and Leia nodded slowly, not sure what he was getting at. The Sith Master smiled enigmatically. "Bail Organa never told you who your real parents were, did he?"

"It doesn't matter," Leia said defiantly. "He _is_ my father."

Vader shook his head slightly, his expression grim. "No, Leia," he said gravely, "_I_ am your father."

Leia stared up at him in horror. "No," she gasped, unwilling to believe something so terrible. "No, that's... That can't..." She trailed off, unable to articulate the magnitude of her disbelief.

Vader deactivated his lightsaber, lowering his hand to his side. "You are my daughter, Leia. There is no denying it."

Horrified, Leia backed away again. She knew it. She didn't want to, told herself that it couldn't possibly be true, but at the same time, she knew it with a dreadful certainty. This terrible man was her natural father, the man she'd often wondered about when she was younger. Leia wanted to scream.

She glanced up at Luke, and he met her gaze with confirmation in his deep blue eyes, so like those of his... _their_ father. He knew, too, but, as clearly as if she were thinking it herself, Leia realized that he joyfully accepted it because it meant she was his sister.

With a flex of his arms and a surge of the Force, Luke called his lightsaber into his hand, a sense of protectiveness directed toward Leia flooding out of him through the Force.

Luke's sapphire-blue blade ignited with a _snap-hiss_, and he swung it up, severing the pipe holding him to the wall. As the pieces dropped to the metal floor with multiple clangs, he boldly walked over to stand between Vader and his newfound sister, blade raised defensively. Leia looked up at him from where she still lay on the floor, too shocked to stand, and in that moment, she saw Luke in a new light.

Gone was the boy she had met on Alderaan, who seemed so lost after Obi-Wan Kenobi's death at Vader's hand. In his place was a man, _her brother_, who was willing to do anything to protect her.

"Stand aside, son," Vader said threateningly, igniting his own lightsaber.

"No, Father," Luke said calmly. "You aren't taking her anywhere."

* * *

-/\\-


	22. II,9: Family Secrets

-/\\-

* * *

**Nine**  
(Family Secrets)

Laser blasts ruthlessly hammered the _Millennium Falcon_ as Boba Fett swept after them in unshakable pursuit.

In the freighter's cockpit, Lando frantically maneuvered the vessel that had once belonged to him in concert with her current copilot, Chewbacca. None of their tricks seemed to work, though, and Fett was inflicting more damage all the time.

In the turrets, Winter and Mara laid down a blistering storm of laser fire at their pursuer, but Fett was somehow able to slide his nimble ship out of the way of most of the bolts, absorbing the rest with his vessel's heavy armor.

Lando had considered fleeing the planet and jumping to hyperspace, but Chewbacca had shot that idea down as soon as he suggested it; Luke and Leia were still somewhere in the city, and the Wookiee wasn't leaving without them.

So, they were forced to do their best to avoid the pursuing Fett, who was proving extraordinarily difficult to lose.

Lando grimly thought to himself that there was not much chance of his day getting better; only worse.

* * *

Leia watched again as Luke and Vader dueled along the length of the maintenance hallway leading to the control chamber for Cloud City's central reactor. She looked for opportunities to help her newfound brother, but she was unable to come up with anything. All she could do was just stay out of the way, and this frustrated her to no end.

Vader was angry now, nearly berserk, and he no longer appeared to care if he injured or killed his son as they fought. His lightsaber moved almost too fast to follow now, whirling through overwhelmingly powerful slashes and thrusts as he hammered Luke back through the hallway.

Luke faltered under the relentless assault, but he somehow managed to recover in time, purely on the defensive now. His lightsaber moved with equal speed, the light from the glowing blade leaping out in dizzying spirals that dazzled the eye.

Finally, as Vader paused for just a moment, Luke gathered the Force to himself and released it in a powerful concussive blast. Both Vader and Leia were knocked off their feet, sailing backwards through the air to sprawl several meters away from the young warrior on opposite sides. Leia heard Vader's grunt of pain as he fell heavily to the floor, but she landed gently, as if she had simply sat down instead of fallen.

As Leia hurriedly got to her feet, she realized this was on purpose. She was now on the other side of an open doorway, inside a small maintenance passageway that led off at an angle from the main hall.

Luke met her eyes as she got to her feet, and time seemed to slow for a moment.

_Go!_ his voice 'shouted' within her mind. _I'll keep him here._

Leia started to object, but Luke's silent voice became more stern. _GO!_ he 'shouted' again, so forcefully that there was no denying it was a command. _You're the only hope the Rebellion has if he defeats me._ _If I don't make it out of here, go to the Dagobah system._

Then, as if to make sure she didn't still try to stay with him anyway, the door connecting the passage to the main hall forcefully slammed shut. Leia rushed forward and pounded on the door once, but realized resignedly that he was right; she could not help him here.

Leia paused for one final moment, then decisively turned and raced through the maintenance passage. The rough gray walls whipped past her as she ran, and she chose intersections seemingly at random, though some part of her was somehow able to figure out the correct choice every time.

In what seemed like only seconds, Leia emerged from the maintenance passages and burst into one of the main halls of Cloud City, which was now gradually dimming as evening slowly fell.

Leia nearly stumbled as she halted suddenly, staring in shock at the figure standing before her. One of Vader's Sith, the one who had reported to him a few times in the carbon-freezing chamber, stood in the center of the hallway, her eyes fixed expectantly on Leia as if she had known she was coming.

The dark-haired young Kuati woman, about Leia's age, stood with her hands at her sides, partially hidden by the folds of her long black robe. Her lightsaber hung in plain view on her belt, but she made no move toward it.

Leia took a step backwards, her mind racing furiously in an attempt to come up with some way of escaping from Vader's servant, but she halted in surprise as the Sith woman raised a hand with a cautioning expression on her face.

"I have no intention of harming you, Leia," the young woman said, her tone serious. "My loyalties do not lie with Darth Vader and the Sith Order. I'm here to help you." Her voice seemed somewhat familiar.

With a start, Leia realized who the young woman was. Three years ago, Leia had been trying to bring Malysa Kolos, her Jedi Master, and a fellow student to the Rebellion. Her ship had been caught by Vader when they stopped at Tatooine to pick up Obi-Wan Kenobi, and Vader had captured the Jedi, as well. Leia had long thought Malysa to be dead, killed by the Sith like her master.

Malysa nodded slowly as comprehension dawned on Leia's face. "I've been pretending to serve Vader since he captured me," the young Jedi explained. "As far as he and the rest of the Empire knows, I'm a loyal Sith. I've done what I can to help the Rebellion over the last few years, but I don't get many opportunities."

Something clicked in Leia's mind at this. "You're the one who sent that message at Ord Mantell, aren't you? The one that warned us the local garrison knew we were there?"

Malysa nodded, then glanced down at her chronometer and frowned. "We don't have much time," she said. "The stormtroopers are searching for your group, and their next sweep will be right through here. We need to go."

Leia nodded, and the two women ran through the white halls, dodging panicked civilians clutching bundles. Leia caught from the buzzing conversation around them that the Empire had seized control of the city, and everyone was fleeing before the Imperials could fully secure all the ports and trap them here.

Malysa looked over at Leia as they ran. "The _Millennium Falcon_ has taken off," she said, swerving around a man pulling two children along, his expression worried. "I came here in Lord Vader's shuttle, but there are dozens of stormtroopers around there. We're going to have to get out on a civilian transport."

Leia was about to nod in agreement when she felt a brush against her mind through the Force. She somehow recognized Mara Jade's presence in the touch, and she tried to recoil, to shove the touch away as hard as she could.

_Listen to me!_ Mara's voice 'said' firmly in her mind, like Luke's had earlier. _I'm trying to help you!_

Leia tried again to push away the touch, and she felt a sense of struggle as Mara maintained her contact. _LISTEN!_ Mara 'shouted' through the Force. _I know you don't trust me, but I really am trying to help you. This is the only way I can talk to you right now, so quit pushing! This is hard enough as it is!_

Reluctantly, Leia stopped struggling, realizing that Mara was sincere. She tried to ask what Mara wanted, but couldn't quite figure out how to reply through the link.

_You can learn how to project words later,_ Mara 'said' impatiently, apparently sensing her intent anyway. _Get outside, somewhere with a lot of open space under you._ _Tell whoever that is next to you to see if she can find a defense cannon._

Leia repeated Mara's instructions to Malysa, who looked at her curiously. _Tell her that when she sees the _Falcon_ and Boba Fett's ship, she needs to try and cripple _Slave I_ if she can,_ Mara continued.

Frowning, Leia realized what Mara and the others were going to try, and she hesitated for a moment, but again Mara reassured her of her sincerity. Leia relayed the former spy's instructions to Malysa, who nodded quickly and sprinted off after a quick farewell.

Leia moved on through the halls, looking for a way outside. She found a balcony after running through several more passages, relying on her newly manifested instincts, and as she emerged, she saw that she was right at the edge of the city, with only clouds below her.

She felt a sense of confirmation from Mara's presence in her mind, and just before the other woman 'spoke', Leia realized what she was about to ask her to do.

_When I tell you, jump as far as you can._

With a grim determination, Leia realized there was no alternative. When the roar of spaceship engines reached her ears, she looked up to see the familiar shape of the _Millennium Falcon_ soaring toward her position at incredible speed, the elongated upright oval of _Slave I_ only a few hundred meters behind.

The _Falcon_ maneuvered wildly, trying to avoid the punishing rain of red blaster fire spitting from _Slave I_, but the bounty hunter's vessel swooped closer all the time, easily keeping up with Han's ship. The shields crackled and hissed as they absorbed the blaster fire, each hammering bolt rocking the ship slightly.

Suddenly, a turret mounted on top of one of the cylindrical towers spat long green lances of fire at Boba Fett's vessel, and with astonishing accuracy, the bolts impacted at the exact place where the left stabilizer fin met the hull. The fin sheared off, spinning away in the wind, and _Slave I _spun out of control.

* * *

Malysa grinned in satisfaction behind the controls of the turret. Even with all the modifications the bounty hunter had made, _Slave I_ was still a _Firespray_-class patrol ship, manufactured by Kuat Drive Yards. Her parents were technicians at the shipyards, so Malysa and her brother Tyraj had grown up around ships. She knew exactly where to hit a _Firespray_ to incapacitate it, so the shot had been difficult but precise.

She was half-surprised she had actually made the shot, especially at this distance, but Malysa knew the Force had guided her hand.

Her mission accomplished, Malysa ducked out of the turret and melted into the crowd. By the time she met up with any Imperials, she would be ready to arrange her features into the appropriate amount of enraged determination to recapture Lord Vader's prisoners.

She would put on a convincing show, and no one would ever suspect what she had done.

* * *

Inside _Slave I,_ Boba Fett wrestled with the controls of his ship as it tried to hurtle out of control through the sky. In the seat behind him, Darth Nova raged.

"They're getting away!" the Sith Lord screamed, his arm thrust out at the wildly spinning viewport. "Get your vessel back under-"

Nova cut off as Fett reached back and quickly, precisely, hit him across the face with his armored gauntlet, striking the furious young man in the precise place that would instantly knock him unconscious without doing any permanent damage.

Fett returned his attention to his ship, carefully adjusting controls as he looked for a good place to make a controlled crash landing. This was an unforeseen setback, and while Fett kept himself calm and in control now, he knew there would be plenty of time to be angry later. He would track down whoever had fired upon his ship and kill them as slowly and painfully as he could.

No one, _no one,_ crossed Boba Fett and lived to brag about it.

* * *

Back on the balcony, Leia watched _Slave I_ spin out of control for several long moments before finally righting itself. She could hear the engines straining from here, and as Leia watched, the hunter's vessel slowly dropped out of sight behind one of the huge white towers behind her, followed by a horrendous screeching of metal.

The _Falcon_ swooped over to her balcony and, with a rumble from its powerful engines, slowly came to a hovering stop underneath her. The top hatch opened, and Leia caught sight of long red-gold hair flying in the wind as the lift brought Mara out onto the upper hull, a cable clipped to a belt around her waist.

"_Jump_!" Mara shouted, both over the howling rumble of the _Falcon_'s engines and through the Force.

It was quite a distance to the _Falcon_ below. Leia could see Lando and Chewbacca nervously watching her through the cockpit as they edged the vessel as close as they dared; the wind made it difficult, and the slightest mistake would send the vessel crashing against the hull of the city.

Tensing her legs, Leia climbed up onto the edge of the balcony and jumped as high and far as she could. She was momentarily panicked as she realized that her momentum would not carry her far enough, but even as she tensed, an invisible hand caught her and changed the angle of her descent.

Leia crashed into the waiting Mara with enough force to knock the breath from both their lungs, and she was stunned upon impact, unable to move for a moment as she slid down the _Falcon_'s hull. But Mara managed to grab her hand, and they both were yanked away from the hatch by their momentum. The cable around Mara's waist jerked them to a rough halt, and Leia cried out, feeling like her arm was being wrenched out of its socket.

Her hair flying around her like a red-gold cloud, Mara met Leia's eyes, and Leia saw enormous relief mixed with apology in the other woman's gaze. She tightened her grip on Mara's hand, silently letting her know how much she appreciated what the former spy had done.

Whatever Mara's motives had been while in service of Darth Vader, they were firmly in the past; now, she was just as much a Rebel as the rest of them, and Leia knew it.

Slowly, Mara hauled Leia back toward the hatch, crying out with exertion. The lift lowered swiftly, and once they were both inside, away from the howling wind, both of them looked at each other in mutual understanding.

"Luke," Mara said, and Leia nodded.

"We have to go back for him," she agreed.

"Can you tell where he is?" Mara asked, and Leia could sense her attempting to look for him through the Force.

It amazed Leia how quickly she was adapting to her newfound power; she wouldn't have believed she could do any of this even yesterday.

"No," Leia said as she and Mara went forward into the main hold. "But I'll try."

Mara nodded. "I'll help you."

* * *

Deep within Cloud City, in an enormously long and wide shaft, lightsabers blazed and crackled, the humming and sparking produced by the movement of the blades echoing off of the cavernous walls. The wind howled through the shaft, ruffling the hair and clothes of the combatants, and made balance on their dueling grounds precarious.

Luke Skywalker and Darth Vader crossed blades repeatedly, the Force surging and swirling through each of them as they moved at speeds far beyond the capabilities of normal human beings.

But neither man was a normal human being; each was filled with an astonishingly powerful current of the Force, flowing through them as both men tried their utmost to overcome the other.

Their duel had raged around most of the maintenance passageways surrounding Cloud City's central reactor, until finally, with a mighty surge of the Force, Vader had blasted Luke through one of the windows in the control room.

The Sith Master had followed, and now the two Skywalkers fought on a narrow metal walkway, a gantry jutting out from the immense podlike reactor.

Luke held his ground in the center of the span, his lightsaber whirling through intensely complicated patterns as he pushed himself to the limit in trying to defend against Vader's overwhelming onslaught.

Vader was a master of lightsaber combat with nearly thirty years of practice, while Luke had only slightly more than ten. It was exhausting, moving his blade at these speeds, and Luke knew he could not hold out much longer. Vader, however, seemed to have boundless reserves of energy, and instead of slowing down, he was actually moving faster the longer the duel went on.

Eight times in the span of only one second, Vader smashed his blade against Luke's, pressing for any openings, any holes in the young warrior's defense. His face was grimly expressionless, set in concentration as the Dark Lord continued his merciless onslaught.

Luke braced his legs and opened himself fully to the Force, feeling his arms move almost by themselves to block each one of the strikes. Vader paused for just an instant too long in his next attack, and Luke whipped his lightsaber over to take advantage.

His shining blue blade nicked the shoulder of Vader's uniform, burning the flesh beneath, before the Sith Master was able to deflect the blow and force Luke's blade away from himself.

Vader backed up a step, taking one hand off his blade as he gathered the Force, but Luke went on the attack, slashing his lightsaber down in a powerful sweeping diagonal strike. Vader blocked, but Luke had already changed the angle of his blade, sliding it along Vader's scarlet blade for a moment before suddenly reversing directions to swing from the other side.

Luke knocked Vader's blade aside, then grabbed hold of the railing on one side of the walkway and swung both feet up and out. Both of his boots hit Vader solidly in the center of the chest, and the Sith Master stumbled backwards, landing heavily on the metal grating a few meters away.

In the midst of Luke's charge, Vader threw up his organic hand and sent a powerful burst of Force Lightning screaming out at his son. Luke caught most of it on his lightsaber, and he could hear the hilt whining as the power pack strained to compensate against the energy surge.

With that pause, Vader leaped to his feet in a long jumping slash, his lightsaber gripped in both hands. Luke spun aside, and Vader's blade sliced through the railing with a shower of sparks.

Vader continued the wild, sweeping blows as he advanced, shearing off more of the railing with each step. Luke had to retreat, unable to block the incredibly forceful blows. Vader demolished more of the walkway as he pressed ever forward, rage twisting his features. His natural eye was a burning shade of yellow now, and even his glowing blue photoreceptor seemed to shine brighter with the force of his anger.

Luke could hold out no longer, but even as his back pressed against the end of the railing, he tried to fend off the flowing slashes, trapped with nowhere else to go.

Vader suddenly twisted his ruby blade in a way Luke was unable to counter, and he screamed in agony as the tip of Vader's lightsaber sliced through his forearm above his wrist. He fell back against the end of the walkway, cradling his arm, and tried to fight his way past the fiery pain.

Vader stopped, holding his still-activated lightsaber in one hand as he abruptly seemed to calm down. His face was expressionless, but as Luke watched, his burning yellow eye slowly faded back to blue. He went very still, not even blinking, and he might as well have been a statue looming over Luke, his long cloak flapping in the wind.

"It is over," Vader said finally, his voice forceful. "You are beaten!"

Breathing heavily, Luke slowly crawled backwards, still not willing to give up.

"There is no escape," Vader said grimly. "Don't make me destroy you."

Luke reached the extreme end of the walkway and pulled himself under the railing, slowly edging along the narrow metal span that led to a large vane-like structure, part of the reactor. Luke was unsure of its function, but at the moment he did not care; all that mattered was getting as far away from Vader as he could.

He jammed the stump of what was left of his right arm into his left armpit, trying uselessly to comfort the burning agony that seemed to lance through his entire body. Luke held on to the vane-like structure with his left hand, feeling the cold metal beneath his fingertips.

Vader shut off his lightsaber and advanced to the end of the walkway, placing one hand on the railing as he stretched out the other. "Luke, come with me," he implored. "There is much we can accomplish together. With our combined strength, we can put an end to this destructive conflict and finally bring order to the galaxy." He stretched out his hand even further, easily within reach of Luke, should he choose to take it. "Join me, and together we can rule the galaxy as father and son."

"That's all you care about; power!" Luke retorted. "You don't want me to join you because I'm your son; you want me to join you because of what I can do!"

Vader shook his head slightly. "No, son. That isn't true. I want us to be a family. We _can_ be a family, with your help."

"What are you talking about?" Luke asked warily, shifting his grip on the narrow metal ring encircling the vane upon which he hung, his feet perched precariously on the base.

"Have you never wanted to meet your mother?" Vader asked, leaning even further over the railing.

"She's dead!" Luke shouted back. "She's dead because _you_ killed her!"

Vader smiled slightly, as if he knew something Luke did not. "That doesn't matter," he said quietly, difficult to hear over the wind. "Death is powerless against me."

Luke stared up at his father incredulously. Had he gone insane? What was he talking about?

"My Sith Master's Master, Darth Plagueis, found a way to use the Force to prolong life, to cheat death," Vader said. "He even found a way to create life where there was none." His natural eye widened with excitement, and even his photoreceptor glowed slightly brighter behind its patch-like lens. "I found out how he did it. It has taken me twenty years of study, but I have finally learned Darth Plagueis' secret for myself." Vader gestured boldly. "I have returned the dead to life!"

Luke's eyes widened in horror, afraid of what his father would say next.

Vader grew serious. "My experiment lasted only briefly, though," he went on. "The process is too complicated for me to sustain by myself." He looked down at Luke fervently. "That is why I need your help, son; you are just as powerful as I am. With your sister aiding us, we can bring your mother back to life!"

His father's face was pleading now, and he stretched out his hand again. "Please, Luke," Vader said imploringly. "Please help me with this. As a family, we can rule over this galaxy and finally bring it into an age of peace. That is all I want. That is all I have ever wanted; to see a final end to all of these pointless wars! Together, we can make this happen!"

Vader's offer was very tempting. Luke dearly wanted to know his mother, to actually speak to her himself, to have a real family finally. He released the metal ring he had been clinging to and slowly reached out his hand, closer and closer to Vader's.

But when their fingertips were barely brushing, Luke stopped and pulled back. "No!" he shouted up at his father. "No, I can't!"

Surprising Luke, Vader's face twisted with emotion; he was genuinely hurt by this. "Why not?"

"Because I've seen too much!" Luke replied. "I know what you would do with Leia and me. You would bring Mother back to life, yes, but after that, you wouldn't be able to stop yourself. Having all that power at your command would be too tempting, and you would just sink further into the Dark Side and pull us with you. I won't let you do that to Leia!"

"You're wrong!" Vader shouted back, his hands clenching around the railing. "All you know are Obi-Wan's lies! You don't know me at all!"

"No, Father," Luke said calmly, relaxing his grip on the metal vane. "I know you only too well. I won't be your pawn, and I won't let you make my sister one, either. I will never join you."

With that, he stepped into the endless nothing and let himself drop.

* * *

"Luke!" Leia said suddenly, sitting bolt-upright in the navigator's chair in the _Millennium Falcon_'s cockpit. Next to her, in the seat behind Chewbacca's, Mara looked over at her with the same emotion crossing her own face.

"Luke's in trouble!" Leia said, leaning forward. In the pilot's chair, Lando looked back at her, his expression grave. She could tell that he was curious about how she knew, but believed her.

"Where?" he asked.

Leia thought for a moment, concentrating on her tenuous bond with her brother, and suddenly she flung out an arm and pointed.

"There!" she and Mara said together, both sensing his location.

Lando hauled the _Falcon_ over and followed their directions, accelerating.

* * *

Luke fell.

The wind roared in his ears, buffeting him as he tumbled down the long reactor shaft. The walkway where his father stood watching him seemed to fly up and away from him with astonishing speed.

As he fell, Luke was caught in the stream of one of the intake vents along the edge of the enormous shaft, and he was sucked in, helpless to stop or even slow himself down.

He hit the smooth metal tube of the intake valve hard and slid out of control, tumbling over and over until he finally hit the bottom, where the vent intersected with another.

Luke tried to get up, unsure of how he was going to get himself out of here, but even as he managed to get his feet under him, the floor of the shaft opened up beneath him and sent him tumbling down another vent, unable to grab hold of anything with his one remaining hand.

With another heavy, painful impact, he reached the end of this new shaft, and the hatch beneath him immediately opened. Luke slipped out into open sky, nothing but pink clouds beneath him, and he dropped for a heart-stopping moment before he finally managed to grab onto a weather vane mounted on the underside of the city.

He felt the vane creak ominously under his weight, and knew it wouldn't hold him for long.

* * *

"There he is!" Mara said, pointing between Lando and Chewbacca at a tiny moving shape far above on the underside of the city.

Lando carefully maneuvered the _Falcon_ beneath the shape, but even before he had begun slowing down, Mara was out of her chair and down the passageway, headed straight for the lift connected to the top hatch.

Leia was only a step behind her, and as they reached the lift, Mara grabbed the belt and cable she had used earlier while Leia went for the medkit; they could both sense that Luke was gravely injured.

She ignored the protestations of her own injuries as she positioned herself on the lift and hit the controls. Mara ascended through the first hatch and then the second, readying herself, and as soon as she could see outside, her eyes locked on Luke, who was clinging to a weather vane several meters above.

Lando and Chewbacca brought the _Falcon_ to a stop, slowly hovering upwards. Mara could make out more detail the closer they got, and she soon realized with horror that Luke's right hand had been cut off. He had numerous other burns on his clothing, as well, and his hair was soaked with sweat. She knew then that he had been through a battle just as terrible as her own today, if not worse.

When Luke saw her, he loosened his grip on the vane. Mara stretched out her arms and caught him as he dropped, hitting the lift controls immediately. In the confined space of the lift tube, as it lowered, Luke's blue eyes sought out her own, and Mara felt a questioning probe of her mind through the Force.

Nodding slightly, she silently confirmed his inquiry, letting him know everything, without reservation, in a flood of images. She felt a sense of hurt at her true identity and former motives, but it was followed by acceptance of who she was now, the choice she had made today.

Luke embraced Mara, letting her know he forgave her, and she had to fight back tears for the second time that day as she realized this, deeply moved. She put her arms around him comfortingly.

The lift finished its fast descent into the ship, and immediately after both hatches had closed, Mara felt the _Falcon_'s powerful engines rumble as Lando accelerated, taking them away from the city at the freighter's top sublight speed.

With a screaming roar, a full squadron of TIE fighters soared after them in pursuit.

* * *

Admiral Piett watched as Darth Vader swooped into the bridge of _Executor_, his long black cloak flaring out behind him.

Piett was momentarily startled by the Sith Master's arrival; the Emperor's shuttle had confirmed docking only a few minutes before. Lord Vader must have been running if he had managed to get up here this fast. But the Dark Lord showed no signs of being out of breath as he advanced along the command walkway to where Piett and Grand Admiral Thrawn waited.

"Where are they?" Lord Vader said as he came to a stop next to the commanders.

"They've just left the atmosphere, my lord," Piett reported. "We are moving to intercept, so they will be in range of our tractor beam in moments."

"You are sure the hyperdrive on the _Millennium Falcon_ has been deactivated?" the Sith Master asked, turning his gaze on Piett.

"Yes, my lord. Immediately after they were captured," Piett replied.

"Good," said Vader. "Prepare a boarding party, and make sure their weapons are set for stun."

* * *

After making sure both Luke and Mara were secure under the care of Winter in the _Millennium Falcon_'s tiny infirmary, Leia hurried back up to the cockpit.

The _Falcon_ shook with laser fire as she took her seat, and Leia looked up as Chewbacca roared something irritable at Lando.

"If they said they fixed it, they fixed it!" the gambler retorted. "Just get the coordinates locked!"

As Chewbacca programmed the navicomputer for their hyperspace jump, Lando swerved the _Falcon_ from side to side, dodging the blaster fire of the pursuing TIEs.

Leia gripped the arms of her chair, desperately hoping the escape worked. If Vader caught them, it would mean death for everyone - except her and Luke, whose fate would be worse.

_Leia_, her father's voice 'said' within her mind. Leia recoiled, but was unable to pull away from Vader's touch. _Leia, you must come with me,_ Vader 'said' imploringly. _It is your destiny._

She could sense Luke nearby, and that he was hearing a variation of the same thing, so she extended her support to her brother even as she drew strength from his returning touch. But between Leia's inexperience and the excruciating pain clouding Luke's mind, they were unable to offer much resistance to Vader's terrible will. She felt as if their joined will was as a wall of sand being ruthlessly battered by the incoming waves, eroding a little more with each new blow.

Chewbacca finally barked triumphantly as the navicomputer flashed, indicating its readiness, and he leaned forward and threw the hyperspace lever.

But nothing happened.

In unison, both Leia and Chewbacca turned accusing glares on Lando, who spluttered with objection.

"It's not my fault!" he exclaimed.

Chewbacca howled in anger, gesturing wildly at Lando.

"It's not my fault!" he said again, on the edge of panic. He turned and swatted the bulkhead next to him, growling, "I can't believe this! I trusted them!"

Chewbacca irritably shoved Lando aside as he left the cockpit, headed back for the hold.

* * *

R2-D2 paused in fixing his golden-plated friend as Chewbacca came storming into the hold, snarling to himself as he grabbed his box of tools.

"Oh, no, we're doomed!" Threepio exclaimed. "The hyperdrive _still_ isn't working! The Empire will catch us for sure now!"

Chewbacca angrily roared at Threepio to shut up as he yanked open the service hatch for the hyperdrive. He immediately went to work, his tools clanking as he hurriedly checked the systems.

Artoo whistled thoughtfully to himself, suspecting the cause of the malfunction. With a determined beep, he set off for one of the other panels as fast as his wheels could take him.

"Wait, come back!" Threepio called to him, holding up his one remaining unattached leg. "You haven't finished fixing me yet!"

Artoo ignored him, whistling again as he headed for the panel. Threepio somehow managed to follow him, protesting all the way. "How could you possibly know what's wrong with the hyperdrive?" he demanded.

The little droid answered him as he set to work, moving with all the speed his electronics could give him.

"Cloud City's central computer told you?" Threepio said, finally coming to a stop next to him. "R2-D2! You know better than to trust a strange computer!"

But Artoo ignored him, still working furiously. A few meters away, Chewbacca struggled with a panel in the service pit, growling to himself. The stubborn panel refused to budge, and so with a savage growl, the Wookiee gripped his tool like a club and bashed the panel violently.

* * *

Up in the cockpit, a shower of sparks erupted from an overhead panel, and Lando hurried to put it out before it could ignite anything, leaving the flying to Leia for a moment.

Leia rolled the freighter, dodging the torrent of laser fire coming from their pursuers, and winced as several of the bolts hit them anyway. Vader's presence in her mind was a constant distraction, and Leia fought to keep her thoughts from clouding under the Sith Master's influence.

* * *

Finally, Artoo finished his work in the hold and twisted his manipulator arm one last time. The whining coming from the bowels of the ship suddenly changed in pitch and became a powerful rumble.

The _Millennium Falcon_ shot forward with a sudden surge of acceleration, and with a shriek, the off-balanced Artoo went sliding uncontrollably across the deck, where he rolled into the service pit and landed on the surprised Chewbacca.

"You did it!" Threepio shouted joyously, but then he cried in alarm as he toppled over as well.

* * *

In the cockpit, Lando also lost his balance in the surge of acceleration, but he whooped as he saw the stars outside blur into lines and then twist into infinite streaks of light.

"We did it!" he crowed.

Leaving its pursuers far behind, the _Millennium Falcon_ leaped triumphantly into hyperspace.

* * *

On _Executor_'s bridge, Admiral Piett felt like his stomach had sunk to somewhere about the level of his knees.

This was it, he knew. He was about to die for this, and in all likelihood so were the majority of the other officers on the bridge.

But surprising them all, Lord Vader remained still and silent, staring at the blackness of space outside where the _Millennium Falcon_ had been moments before. He clasped his gloved hands behind his back over his cloak, his expression unreadable.

He turned, and Piett tensed again, but Vader walked past the admiral like he wasn't even there and left the bridge, his cloak gently billowing out behind him as he strode through the door.

Beside Piett, Thrawn watched the Emperor leave, his expression also curiously unreadable. Finally, he turned back to Piett.

"Ready the flagship, Admiral," he said. "Prepare to rejoin the fleet."

Piett looked over at him, still in shock, and Thrawn shrugged fractionally.

"They escaped this time, Admiral," he said simply. "There is no point in wishing otherwise."

Piett nodded slowly, then got to work.

* * *

-/\\-


	23. Part II Epilogue

-/\\-

* * *

**Epilogue**

Later, the small group of people that had escaped in the _Millennium Falcon_ gathered in one of the wards of the Rebel hospital frigate. The room was a calming white, smelling of not entirely unpleasant chemicals, and one entire wall was a huge viewport that faced the starry field outside. The other ships of the Alliance fleet moved past the viewport occasionally, drifting in formation in this, the latest place they had found to hide from the Empire.

Luke sat in a diagnostic chair, looking down as the surgeon droid tested his new artificial hand, an advanced model covered with synthetic skin. He flexed the fingers experimentally, watching as the machinery within the open panel on his wrist moved in response.

The surgeon droid, apparently satisfied, reached down and closed the panel. Luke got up, and as he pulled down his sleeve, he marveled at how closely the replacement resembled his original hand. It would be indistinguishable from the rest of his body except upon close examination.

But, Luke thought as he moved to join the others, he would always know. The mechanical hand was an eternal reminder of his duel with his father. Was there anything left of Anakin Skywalker within Darth Vader? His final words to Luke had clouded the issue, and the young man found himself still confused in his feelings about his father.

Freshly emerged from his immersion in a bacta tank, Han Solo slowly moved over to the wide, expansive viewport and put his arm around Leia's shoulders. He was still having a little trouble seeing, the aftereffects of his hibernation within the block of carbonite, but the doctors assured them that there was no permanent damage.

Leia smiled up at him, and Han smiled warmly in return. Luke had to smile himself, happy for them.

Mara quietly approached from Luke's left and touched his arm. He looked over into her vibrant green eyes, and a bit of silent communication passed between them, a mutual understanding. She gently laid her head on Luke's shoulder, and he put his arm around her, sending comfort out through the Force as well. The rest of the Alliance was far less accepting, Luke knew; she was in for a rough few days as the Rebel leadership decided what was to be done with her.

Lando, standing on Han's other side at the far end of the viewport next to Chewbacca, looked over at the line of people. "So, now what do we do?" he asked.

Han shrugged. "I'm not sure," he said. "We'll figure something out."

"The Empire is still out there," Winter said, standing next to the droids at the left end of the huge viewport. "Vader will never give up."

"No, he won't," Mara agreed quietly.

Luke squeezed her shoulder. "There's still hope."

The twinkling stars in the velvety black outside shone in silent affirmation.

* * *

In his quarters aboard _Executor_, Darth Vader sat in his chair, staring at the wall full of lightsabers before him.

He had two children, he now knew, and both of them had rejected him. Just like _she_ had rejected him, just like everyone else he had known.

Why would no one see what he was trying to do? He was not some bloodthirsty tyrant out to kill or enslave as many beings as he could, like Palpatine would have been. His son's last words to him stung Vader, even as he considered their truth.

What had he become? Had he truly turned into a monster, as his children seemed to see him?

Vader got up and moved over to look at the rows of lightsabers, each from a Jedi that had died at his own hand. He saw Dooku's, the first to fall against him at the beginning of his slide into the Dark Side. He had already incapacitated the Sith Lord, made the old man helpless on his knees before him, and still he killed him anyway.

Just like he had slaughtered all those Tuskens in the camp of the tribe that had captured his mother, all those years ago. Anakin had been so consumed with fury that he left not a single one alive. He had killed all of them, even the children.

The sound of their screams as his lightsaber slashed through them came back to Vader in a rush, joined in an awful chorus by those of the roomful of Jedi children he had killed with equal mercilessness, again sparing not a one. How many Jedi had he killed in just that one day? People who had once trusted him, looked up to him, thought of him as a great man, all of them fell beneath his ruthless blade.

Vader reached up and touched one of the lightsabers on the very top row, one that had sat undisturbed since he had placed it there years ago. This lightsaber had belonged to a man Vader had killed with more savage ferocity than any of the others. This lightsaber had belonged to a man Vader so hated that he had tried to erase every bit of him.

This lightsaber had once belonged to Anakin Skywalker.

Vader took his present weapon from his belt, one he had fashioned not long after declaring himself Sith Master, and held it in his other hand. He looked down at the two lightsabers in his hands, belonging to the man he had once been and the man he was now.

Holding his hands out before him, he ignited both blades, and stared at each.

One red, one blue.

One Sith, one Jedi.

Darth Vader, Anakin Skywalker.

Which of them rightly belonged to him? Which of them was he, truly, in the innermost core of his being?

When he finally brought Padmé back, which of them would she love?

Could she love either one?

Was either worth loving?

* * *

-/\\-

_**End Part II**_

-\/-


	24. Traitor's Trial

-/\\-

* * *

**Tales From The Empire**

* * *

**Traitor's Trial**

"I've said it before, and I'll say it again; you Skywalkers are one messed-up family."

Luke Skywalker laughed lightly at Han Solo's statement, shifting in his seat next to the computer console in the _Millennium Falcon_'s main hold. Han was sitting behind the gameboard with Princess Leia, one arm around her shoulders, a characteristic smirk on his face. Leia smiled wryly at his comment.

From where he stood waist-deep in a service panel at the back of the hold, Chewbacca growled his agreement. The Wookiee was repairing one of the temperamental _Falcon_'s systems, which was apparently an ongoing job. Luke thought to himself that it was unlikely the battered freighter had been in perfect condition since it had left the factory, though it was what gave the starship some of its character. The _Falcon_ just wouldn't be the _Falcon_ if something didn't need fixing or upgrading.

The _Falcon_ was docked in the hangar of _Home One_, the Alliance flagship, and the small group was gathered here for a short break away from all the bustle of activity outside. The fleet was preparing to move to a new hiding place, and there was little any of them could do to help in this, so they were staying out of the way.

Luke and Leia had just finished telling Han and Chewie the story of what had happened to them on Bespin, and after a few questions, Han had given his predictably irreverent assessment of the situation.

Han drummed his fingers on the table in front of him. "So, you guys are twins, huh? Three years you knew each other, and nobody ever figured it out."

Leia frowned. "My parents knew, but they didn't want to tell me. I don't like it, but I can see why now." She looked over at Luke. "I have to say, I'm happy to know who my real mother was, but I can still hardly believe Vader is…"

He nodded slowly, the fingers of his natural hand playing with the dark brown fabric of his outer robe. He had known almost his entire life that the Emperor was his father, and he still had trouble accepting it sometimes.

Leia's statement about their mother provoked a twinge of guilt in Luke; he had still not told anyone else about what Vader had said to him at the end of their duel. He privately didn't dare let himself hope about actually meeting his mother, and he didn't want to give false hope to his sister, either. He was still undecided on whether he believed bringing someone back to life with the Force was even possible. Even if it _was_ possible, should it be done anyway? Such a thing was unnatural, and more than a little disturbing to think about - especially if it was Vader doing it.

"So," he said to Leia, partly to distract himself from that line of thought, "have Bail and the others decided what they're going to do with Mara yet?"

She shook her head. "Admiral Ackbar wants to accept her defection, but my fath… Bail Organa and Mon Mothma want to try her for war crimes instead."

"I can kinda see their point," said Han. "Whether she's really switched sides now or not, Mara was feeding Vader information about us for three years. The attack on Echo Base especially was planned around her intel, and a lot of people will never be willing to forgive that."

Luke sighed, reluctantly agreeing. "They haven't let me in to see her," he said, "but she's feeling pretty depressed right now. I'm afraid she might be willing to just go along with whatever they decide, even if it means execution."

Han looked at him curiously. "If they haven't let you in to see her…" His brows rose in realization. "Jedi thing, right?"

Luke smiled despite the situation as he nodded. "Not much they can do to block that." His smile faded. "She needs all the support she can get right now. Vader might as well have been her father, and it took a lot for her to abandon him."

Han's expression was also serious as he nodded slowly. "I can't say I'm feeling particularly close to Red right now, myself, but I do see your point."

Luke leaned further back in his chair as he looked around at the rest of the room. The three of them fell quiet for a moment, and Luke took the opportunity to stretch out to see how Mara was doing. He sensed that she was asleep, so he pulled back, noting that she seemed troubled.

He considered going up to check on her, but decided against it; the guards posted outside her quarters had strict orders from Admiral Ackbar not to allow anyone inside for any reason without his permission.

* * *

_Mara Jade walked slowly through the halls of the Sith Temple, dressed in the black and dark gray robes she had worn during her training there. Dozens of similarly dressed students passed her in the dark-colored, dimly lit halls._

_Their eyes were all yellow, glowing in the shadows, and all of them wore identical expressions of hatred, directed at her. Some could even be described as snarling, their expressions twisted with disgust and contempt._

_From the shadows stepped Darth Nova, his face twisted in rage. Force Lightning crackled between his hands as he watched Mara walk down the long hall. As she passed him, he let two long, twisting fingers of the unnatural electricity lance out and smash into the wall directly in front of and behind her, trapping her for a moment in a prison of glowing light._

"_Traitor…" he hissed, his voice reverberating throughout the hall. The dozens of other Sith gathered along the edges echoed it in a hateful murmur._

"_Traitor traitor traitor traitor traitor traitor traitor traitor…"_

_Mara took a deep breath, tried her best to ignore them, and continued on through the hall, her footsteps echoing back down to her from the cavernous ceiling far above, hidden in blackness. The overwhelmingly powerful presence waiting at the end of the hall beckoned grimly, tinged with thorough disappointment._

_As Mara looked down at the floor, she realized her long black outer robe had turned a rusty brown, and the rest of her clothing lightened accordingly. The lightsaber at her side was now plated in polished chrome instead of the obsidian black of most Sith weapons._

_Mara took pride in this, silently repeating to herself that she was no longer a Sith. She was now a Jedi, dedicated solely to the Light Side of the Force, not the twisted compromise of Darth Vader and his followers. _

_For a brief moment, Luke appeared at the edge of her vision, dressed in his own tan and brown robes. He smiled approvingly, then slowly faded away. Mara drew strength from his familiar, comforting presence._

_The shadows at the edges of the hall seemed to deepen as Mara approached the chamber that had once been the Jedi Council room. For more than twenty years, ever since Darth Sidious and his then-apprentice Darth Vader had destroyed the order that had occupied this building for uncounted generations, that room had held only one chair: the Sith Master's throne, from which he dispensed both lessons and judgment._

_As Mara slowly ascended the staircase leading up to the throne room, it seemed as if the door grew farther away rather than closer. The stairway seemed to swell, growing taller and taller until Mara felt like an insignificant speck beneath its massive walls. Each step toward the burning dark presence behind the door seemed to take more effort than the one before it, until it felt like she was climbing a mountain instead of just a set of stairs._

_Finally, she reached the top, feeling drained and exhausted. The huge gray door slowly split and slid open with a deep, vibrating rumble, revealing a dark, circular room so dim that only vague black shapes were visible, save for a single point of glowing blue light._

_Mara mustered her resolve and marched inside, boldly heading right for the huge black shape of the throne and the tall man seated in it. Shadows obscured his face but for his glowing blue eye, giving no hint as to his expression._

"_I raised you as if you were my own child," Darth Vader's deep voice said from the shadows of the throne. "This is how you repay me, by turning on me and joining with my enemies?"_

_Mara hesitated for only an instant. "You did not raise me as a daughter," she replied firmly. "You raised me as a weapon."_

"_I taught you how to survive," Vader said reproachfully. "Where would you be if not for me? Your parents are long dead."_

_To the side, one of the huge windows draped in heavy black curtains slowly opened, showing a view into a crowded, noisy spaceport. Mara recognized this as her first memory, seeing herself at three years old wandering through the crowd with her red-gold hair in dirty disarray, her clothes stained and torn. The small child looked fearfully up at the towering people who flowed around her, ignoring the tiny girl as they went about their business._

_Mara saw the tall, black-clothed shape of Darth Vader, much younger, move through the crowd, surrounded by a contingent of red-robed Royal Guards. Instead of stopping in front of the small girl huddled against a wall like Mara remembered, the Sith Master moved on through the crowd as if he did not see her.  
_

_Shortly afterward, an ugly, unshaven human man in dirty, rumpled clothes spotted the small girl, and his face split into an avaricious grin. "You'll fetch a good price," he said as he darted forward and clamped a hand over the child's mouth, muffling her startled, fearful outcry._

_The heavy black curtains dropped over the window, and one on the other side of the throne opened, showing Mara as a slightly older girl dressed in rags, her face covered in bruises and her hair raggedly cut short, glaring hatefully up at a tall, unpleasant-looking Twi'lek dressed in long dark blue robes._

"_You'll make a fine slave," the pale-skinned Twi'lek said, grinning hideously. "We just need to break that spirit of yours."_

_With that, he stepped forward and slapped the girl so hard she was knocked right off her feet and into the grimy stone wall behind her. The Twi'lek continued to beat her as the black curtains slowly fell closed, and Mara winced as the possible version of herself screamed in pain and terror._

_Next, another window opened to display Mara at about her present age, standing before the throne of an enormous slug-like Hutt. This version of Mara was almost naked, clad in a pitifully small amount of wispy silk and glittering gold-colored metal, with a collar about her neck attached to a chain that was fastened to the front of the Hutt's throne. This Mara's eyes were dull, her spirit broken, and her face was depressingly expressionless, as if she were merely a shell, uncaring of what happened to her._

_The Hutt boomed a command in Huttese, his huge yellow eyes watching hungrily as the slave began to dance, halfheartedly moving through a clumsy pattern not quite matching up to the music. The Hutt grunted in displeasure and gestured to one of his guards, who shot the slave in the neck. The slave's expression did not change at all as she dropped to the floor, dead. Another servant contemptuously shoved the corpse out of the way as the next dancer began her routine._

_Mara watched the scene in horror, knowing that it was entirely possible. She wanted to think she would have fought more, but she could see the bruises and scrapes on the corpse's body, accompanied by dozens of long-healed scars only partially obscured by crude makeup. That version of her had been through years and years of horrendous abuse, completely broken by a lifetime of being treated as nothing more than an object._

_Mara Jade could think of no worse fate for herself, no more terrifying nightmare course for her life. She shuddered, finally realizing just how close this scene had come to being reality. She remembered the dirty, unkempt man from her real first memories, scurrying away as the huge shape of Lord Vader blocked out the sun overhead._

"_I saw what would happen to you if I did not intervene," the shadowed figure on the throne said. "I sensed your potential, knew you could one day become who you are now." The figure paused. "Who you were," he amended caustically._

_Mara turned from the black curtains that had fallen over her possible fate, looking up at Vader. "I am glad you found me when you did," she admitted. "But think; is the way you treated me really any different? You raised me as an object, too, a weapon you could use against your enemies. Despite the rest of the illusion, was I ever really more than your slave?"_

_Darth Vader slowly stood from his throne, his long black cloak flowing down around him, and took one slow step toward Mara. He seemed huge, more than twice her height, and his grim features came into the light, revealing his darkly threatening expression._

_Mara suddenly gasped in agony as it seemed that searing hot fire coursed through every fiber of her being, burning all the way down to the bone. She screamed, and the air in her lungs seemed to flow out as a gout of flame._

"_If we ever meet again, traitor," Vader's voice said grimly, hammering into her head over the unbearable agony, "this pain will be real."_

[...]

Mara gasped as she woke, hurling herself out of the bed in her quarters aboard _Home One_. Her legs tangled in the sheets, and she fell heavily to the carpeted floor, straining for breath and fighting not to scream at the throbbing, burning fire seeming to flow out from the marrow of her bones. Her limbs twisted in pain, contorting uncontrollably. Finally, she screamed, unable to hold it in any longer.

Over the roaring in her ears, Mara heard an urgent voice shouting beyond the doors of her quarters, arguing with another, deeper voice. The door slammed open, and a familiar figure rushed inside.

"Mara?" Luke said, his voice filled with concern. "Mara, what is it?"

She was unable to respond, almost unable to breathe over the fire raging within her body. Her hands clawed at the carpet so violently that fibers were ripped loose and lodged in her fingernails. She wanted to cry, to scream, but could make no sound over the pain.

Luke rushed to her side and gathered her into his arms, his eyes meeting hers and looking deep inside. It seemed to Mara as if a cool wave swept over her, washing away the inner fire, as Luke did his best to help her. She clung to him with relief, sobbing uncontrollably.

"It's all right," Luke said soothingly. "It's all right. You're safe now."

Mara buried her face in his chest and let the tears flow. Luke simply sat there with her and held her for as long as she wanted him to, silent and reassuring.

* * *

A while later, once she had regained her composure and cleaned herself up, Mara sat on one of the couches in the main room of the quarters to which she was confined, dressed in one of the plain white jumpsuits she had been given to wear while she was a prisoner aboard the Rebel flagship.

Luke sat next to her, and in the other chairs and couches sat Leia, Han, Winter, and Admiral Ackbar, listening as Mara tried to describe what had happened.

She was severely embarrassed that Luke had seen her in such a moment of weakness, but at the same time she was immensely grateful to him for helping her through it. Though she wanted to deny it, Mara was not entirely sure she could have recovered by herself.

"I'm not sure whether it was just a dream or some sort of vision," Mara said, looking out at the others. "Nothing like that has ever happened to me before."

"You were screaming loud enough that they could hear you outside," said Winter. "I was four rooms over and I could hear you like you were standing right next to me."

"You were screaming in the Force, too," Luke said, his face still tinged with concern. "Both Leia and I could feel it."

From her seat next to Han, Leia nodded, her expression faintly disturbed underneath her own concern.

"Could Lord Vader have done this as some kind of punishment for turning against him?" asked Ackbar.

Mara shrugged helplessly. "I have no idea," she replied. "He could have, but I don't know. For all I know, I could have done this to myself. The Force does strange things sometimes."

"Well," said Han, leaning forward to rest his forearms on his knees, "_I_ definitely heard that scream, and I'm positive something like that can't be faked. No offense, Red; you're good, but you're not _that_ good." He looked over at Admiral Ackbar. "I don't know how much my opinion's worth, but my vote says we skip the trial and treat the defection as real. I'll say that in front of whoever you need me to."

"This has only confirmed my belief," Ackbar agreed. "I only hope the rest of the Alliance leadership can be convinced." Leia and Winter nodded in agreement.

Mara watched from her seat next to Luke, grateful for the show of support.

* * *

Despite the others' efforts, a trial was held to decide whether or not to accept Mara's offer to defect to the Alliance. It was held in the briefing room of _Home One_, with the prisoner required to remain in cuffs the entire time, four armed guards surrounding her, with a dozen more spread around the outer edge of the chamber. The security was at the insistence of Borsk Fey'lya, a high-ranking Bothan member of the Alliance, who was arguing against her.

Luke had insisted on defending Mara himself, and he stood in front of her, dressed in his usual robes, freshly cleaned and pressed. He had not yet had time to build himself a replacement for the lightsaber he had lost on Bespin, but today he had no need of a Jedi weapon except as a symbol of the order he represented. In that capacity, Mara's lightsaber hung prominently from his belt. Luke considered it another symbol of his support for her, as well.

He watched as the last of the observers settled into their seats in the circular, amphitheater-like room, dominated by the holoprojector in the center. The walls and benches were white, as was the holoprojector, in contrast to the twinkling black star field visible through the long, wide viewports around the top of the chamber.

Borsk Fey'lya had been allowed to speak first, and he took his station next to the projector, his cream-colored fur rippling in the Bothan indication of contempt as he cast a cold glance in Mara's direction. He manipulated a control on the side of the holoprojector, and it flared to life, slowly scrolling through a long list of names written in blue light.

"These are the names of every Rebel confirmed dead during the Battle of Hoth," Fey'lya began. He was silent for a long moment, letting the names trickle up into the upper node of the projector. Luke recognized many of the names, friends he had lost in the terrible battle.

"They are all victims of that woman," Fey'lya continued, pointing a finger at Mara. "Whether or not she took the action herself, there is no question that Mara Jade must be charged with their murder. This Imperial agent is responsible for all of the death and destruction of that day."

Fey'lya walked in a slow circle around the projector, looking up into the audience. "By her own admission, Agent Jade issued a detailed report on the defenses and condition of Echo Base, a report Darth Vader and his Imperial troops made thorough use of to destroy the entire installation." The Bothan stared up at the audience with anger burning in his violet eyes. "Three transports," he thundered. "_Three transports _made it away from Echo Base out of dozens. Because of _that woman_, Darth Vader slaughtered hundreds of our fellow freedom fighters, dealt the Alliance a heavy blow from which we might never recover."

Fey'lya gestured expansively. "My fellow Rebels, Mara Jade may have single-handedly cost the Alliance the war. Should we really accept such a person into our ranks? Can _anything_ she does now wash away all of the blood staining her hands?"

The Bothan looked out across the audience again. "She has come to us with the intention to join our ranks," he said, injecting a heavy dose of revulsion into his tone. "She _claims_ not to serve the Emperor anymore, but from what I am led to understand, that vile man raised her himself. Can bonds of loyalty that strong really be severed so easily?" Fey'lya rippled his fur in disbelief. "I find that very hard to believe."

He gestured at the list of names still slowly scrolling by. "And if we allow this woman into our ranks, what justice is that for her victims? She claims she is _sorry,_" Fey'lya snapped indignantly. "I ask you, fellow sentients, does _sorry_ bring these beings back to life? Does her being _sorry_ for being an agent of evil make up for years and years of atrocities?"

Fey'lya paused for a moment to build tension. "The answer is _no!_" he thundered. "An apology simply isn't good enough. An apology does not make justice for all those slain and all those who must mourn them. To blithely accept this woman into our fold would not only be foolish, it would be immoral."

"My friends," he said, his voice going quiet but firm, "the only logical and moral choice available to us today is to reject this killer's attempt to escape justice by trying to join with us. Such a murderer cannot be allowed to roam free among us.

"The only choice we can make and still call ourselves civilized beings furthering the cause of freedom from tyranny is to reject this agent of the tyrant. Not only that, we must make her answer for the death she has caused. We claim to be fighting for freedom and justice in this galaxy. Let us begin by bringing this murderer to the justice she so deserves!"

His final salvo fired, Borsk Fey'lya stepped away from the holoprojector to approving murmurs from sections of the audience. Luke let the calming current of the Force flow through him, washing away the rage that threatened to come boiling to the surface at the enflaming words.

Luke adjusted the drape of his loose-fitting outer robe as he got to his feet and quietly walked to the projector. He spent a long moment looking out over the audience, making eye contact with many of those he knew personally and many more he did not.

"I have killed," he began. "Since I joined the cause of this war, I have ended the lives of many, as have almost all of you. I have with my own hands ended the lives of dozens of sentient beings. Why?" He gestured up at the audience. "Why have we killed?"

"I will tell you," he said, dropping his hands. "We have killed because we thought we were doing what was right. Because we were doing what we thought was right, our own killings were justified because those we killed were in the service of evil. The offer of freedom is open to all. The offer to do what we think is right is open to all. Those who reject it have forfeited their right to life, have they not?"

Luke heard the troubled murmurings of the audience, and he could feel their doubt, disapproval, and guilt through the Force, flowing down at him like a waterfall.

"Well, let me tell you how the Empire sees us," he said quietly. "The sentient beings who see themselves as loyal citizens of the Empire see us as terrorists. They see us as dangerous people working to undermine the legal government of the galaxy, to upset the stability and order brought about by their Emperor. So, they hunt us down. They kill us wherever they can. Are they justified in doing this?"

Luke sensed someone in the crowd about to shout an answer back to him, so he continued before he could be interrupted. "Yes," he said, to shock from the audience. "From their point of view, they are."

"From our point of view, we are in the service of good," he continued. "From their point of view, we are in the service of evil. Who is right here? The two sides of this war cannot both be right."

He turned to gesture back at Mara. "From her point of view, she was in the service of good. She was serving the man she viewed as her rightful ruler, the man who had the right to decide what was to be done in this galaxy. From her point of view, she was justified in seeing to it that Darth Vader and the Imperial military were able to kill us, those the Empire views as evil."

"I am sure everyone in this room shares the viewpoint that Darth Vader is an evil man," Luke went on. "But Vader himself does not. He sees himself as an instrument of good. Darth Vader is doing everything he can to bring peace to this galaxy, by any means necessary. From the highest Grand Admiral to the lowest foot soldier, his followers believe they are doing the same thing. For most of her life, Mara Jade believed she was also working in the interests of peace, in the interest of greater good for the galaxy."

"But was she, really?" he asked of the audience. "We would all agree that she was not, but why?" He paused for a moment before he gave the answer. "Because of the methods used by the Emperor, his government, and his agents. Those of us who are gathered under the banner of the Alliance are here because we believe every sentient being has the right to live their own lives without fear of oppression by those entrusted to rule them. Is peace gained through fear of brutal punishment really peace at all?"

"It is not," he said firmly. "We are here because we know this to be the truth. We are here because we believe order gained from smashing down those who do not obey is no real order at all. We are here because we do _not_ agree with how Darth Vader is ruling this galaxy."

Luke paused for several moments to let this sink in. "Let me tell you," he said quietly but firmly, "so is Mara Jade."

"On Bespin," he went on, "she accompanied the crew of the _Millennium Falcon_ there with the intent of seeing to it that they were captured by the Emperor's forces. In part because of her, true, they were. Mara was, at the time, doing what she thought was right. But she realized that what she was doing was not right at all. She watched as Darth Vader, the man responsible for governing trillions of lives, casually and arbitrarily threw one of those lives away."

He paused again. "In that moment, Mara Jade knew for certain that the man she served was no longer worth serving. She knew what had to be done. She made the only logical and moral choice available to her," Luke said, deliberately repeating Fey'lya's earlier words. "She decided to make sure that that life Lord Vader threw away was not thrown away at all. Mara Jade made sure that my friends were not condemned to a fate she knew they did not deserve.

"She acted in the service of what she now knew was good, and risked her own life to save theirs. Mara walked away from the only life she had known because she knew that it was the right thing - the only moral thing - to do.

"How many of us have done the same thing? How many of us have given up the lives we had before to serve what we knew was a righteous cause? How many of us have abandoned what we knew before to do what we knew was right?" Luke swept his gaze over the audience, again making as much eye contact as possible. "There are those here who have done things that you now know are wrong. There are those of you here who were once in service to the government you now work to overthrow, but where are you now?"

"You are _right here_," Luke said, gesturing boldly at the chamber around them. "You are where you know you can serve the greater good, and now, so is Mara Jade, by her own free will. What right do we have to deny her the chance to redeem herself? Who are we to say who is beyond redemption, unworthy of forgiveness?"

Luke gestured to Mara, sitting behind the heavily armed guards at one end of the chamber. "She knows that the course she has now chosen is the right one." He turned his head to meet her eyes across the chamber. "Don't you?"

"Yes, I do," Mara said as she got to her feet. "I know that if Darth Vader continues on his present course of action, his rulership cannot lead this galaxy into the age of peace he says it will. He must be removed, and I will do everything in my power to help the rest of you do this. Whatever you ask of me to prove where my loyalties now truly are, I will do without reservation."

"There you have it," Luke said, gesturing up at the audience. "You have all the evidence you need. You have everything you need to make the only logical and moral choice." He paused for a moment, looking at Mon Mothma, Bail Organa, Admiral Ackbar, and the others. "So make it."

With that, he stepped away from the center of the chamber. The audience was silent for a moment, and slowly, several beings began to applaud. Others joined them, and soon nearly the entire audience was applauding or otherwise expressing their approval.

Luke could feel Mara's grateful gaze on him, and he looked back up at her with an affirming smile. He believed in her, loved her, and his own conscience could allow him to do no less than he had done today.

As Luke sat down next to Leia and Han, they both nodded in approval. Han leaned over to whisper to him. "Nice going, kid. I never knew you had it in you."

"I never knew I had it in me, either," Luke admitted just as quietly. "I had no idea of what I was going to say until I started talking."

Han's reply was a knowing smile as he gently clapped Luke's shoulder.

[...]

The Alliance leadership adjourned to another chamber to deliberate, leaving the audience to debate on its own. From his seat, Luke could hear a dozen different conversations as a number of people discussed the arguments they'd heard. Some strongly agreed with him, others with Fey'lya, and still others seemed to vacillate, unsure of which argument made more sense to them.

Above and behind him, Mara sat in the center of her wall of guards, who, other than occasionally looking down over the audience, did not move. Luke looked back up at her from time to time in support, but she only occasionally looked back at him, sometimes offering a small smile. The rest of the time, Mara was deep in thought, looking down at her hands or the floor as she herself thought about what had been said.

[...]

Finally, the door at the other end of the amphitheater opened, and Mon Mothma walked back in, followed by Bail Organa, Admiral Ackbar, and the others.

The elegant woman approached the central holoprojector and waited until the crowd quieted to begin speaking. She passed a calm, collected glance over the crowd until she finally settled her gaze on Mara, who stood.

"Mara Jade," Mon Mothma began, her voice soft but serious. "You have been the cause of much death. Do you agree that you must answer for this?"

Mara nodded solemnly. "I do."

Luke leaned forward in his seat, waiting to hear the decision.

"As penance for your crimes against the people of the galaxy," Mon Mothma continued, "do you swear to dedicate the remainder of your life to ensuring that every being in this galaxy has the right to enjoy true peace?"

Mara drew herself up straighter, holding her head high. "I swear."

Mon Mothma nodded in approval. "Then it is the decision of this tribunal that you be afforded the chance to perform this penance. You, Mara Jade, by your own decision and that of those of us who lead this movement, are now an official member of the Alliance to Restore the Republic."

At Mon Mothma's gesture, one of Mara's guards turned and unlocked her cuffs. The man put them in a compartment on his belt as he and the other three guards moved away, leaving Mara standing by herself.

Luke was the first to stand up and applaud, and he was quickly followed by the rest of the crowd. Even Borsk Fey'lya, a barely restrained scowl on his face, perfunctorily put his hands together twice.

* * *

In one of the observation domes of the Rebel flagship, Mara sat facing the expanse of stars, with Luke sitting next to her on the low couch they'd pulled over to face the viewport. Mara had wanted to talk to Luke in private after the decision, and so they had come here.

"I just wanted to let you know how much what you said today means to me," Mara said, looking over at Luke. "I guess…" she paused for a moment, hesitating. "I guess what I want to ask you is, why?"

Luke was silent for a moment, and she could sense him thinking deeply about something. Finally, he looked up at her and reached over to take one of her hands. "Because I love you," he said, looking deep into her eyes. "And because it was the right thing to do. What you did on Bespin…" He paused for a moment, looking down at his hands.

"I've thought I loved you for a long time," he said quietly. "Ever since we met on Alderaan. But that wasn't love." He looked up at her again, deep emotion in his blue eyes. "That was just… an infatuation, really. For three years, I've thought you were the most beautiful woman I have ever seen, and I suppose that was where most of my feelings came from." He paused again, searching for the right words.

"But now I know I love you, truly, because now I know just what kind of person you are. Mara, you… you walked away from your family, from your entire life, to do what you thought was right. I know that had to be the hardest thing you've ever done, but you did it anyway. I can't tell you how much I respect that decision. You have proved that you're a good person, willing to sacrifice yourself for someone else, and that's… that's why I love you."

Mara was silent for a moment, moved deeply by his sincere words. More than that, she could feel how he felt through the Force, and to realize that he could feel that way about her even after all she had done to him and his friends moved her beyond words.

She realized that she felt the same way about him; he may have been infatuated with her for the last three years, but over those same three years, she had come to know him, to know just what sort of man Luke Skywalker was. He was what his father was not, the good person Anakin could have been but chose not to be. For the same reasons he had described, the willingness to do anything for someone he cared about, Mara knew she respected and loved Luke the same way he did her.

Mara knew he could sense all this as she thought about it through the Force, so she opened her mind and soul more fully to him as she leaned forward and embraced him in a gentle kiss.

He opened himself to her in return, and for a long, blissful moment as they embraced beneath the stars, Mara felt like she knew Luke as deeply as he knew himself, and he knew her just as deeply. It was almost as if their souls were joined, two halves of a complete whole brought together at last.

* * *

Later, gathered in the hold of the _Millennium Falcon_, Luke, Han, Leia, Winter, and Chewbacca held their own private ceremony welcoming Mara into the Rebellion's ranks. At Han's suggestion, this consisted of drinking a good bottle of Corellian whiskey he kept stashed away for just such an occasion.

It was a relaxed, casual gathering, and consisted mostly of Han telling the others about some of his more daring escapades during his career as a smuggler. Mara learned something she'd never known about Han before during this conversation; he had once been an Imperial officer himself, a top graduate of the academy at Carida, and had been well on his way to a bright career with the Imperial Navy. But, upon seeing the mistreatment of one of the Wookiee workers, Chewbacca, Han had stepped in and stopped it, disobeying a direct order and even striking his commanding officer in the process.

He was summarily drummed out of the Navy, given a dishonorable discharge, and nearly thrown in prison for doing what he thought was right. It was a similar situation to her own, and she felt a new sense of kinship with the roguish Corellian.

Mara Jade had spent the last few years pretending to be friends with these people, but now, she knew, that friendship was real. This group was willing to believe her, willing to welcome her into their family despite what she had done. She knew she would never be able to show them just how much she appreciated this.

She may have abandoned the family she had known for most of her life, but here she had a better one to take its place.

* * *

-/\\-


	25. Misdirection

-/\\-

* * *

**Misdirection**

There was another spy in the Rebellion's ranks, Mara Jade knew. Vader rarely relied on a single source for information, even when the source had been the Emperor's Hand. She had known it, always knew on every mission that the likelihood she was working alongside another Imperial agent - even when she thought she was operating solo - was extraordinarily high. But if Vader had ever sent backup to make sure she succeeded, he had never given any indication to her.

She glanced around the briefing room of _Home One_. Over a dozen of the highest ranking officers of the Rebel Alliance, many of them part of the Intelligence division, gathered around the central table, analyzing the huge amounts of data Mara had provided about Vader's operations. All of these men and women had proven their devotion to their cause countless times. Most had lost family to the Imperials, and all had lost friends. At first glance, she could think of none that would even consider betraying them to the Empire.

Then again, they had thought the same of her.

Her eyes flickered from face to face. No out-of-place beads of sweat, no quivering lips, no attempts to disprove even the most sensitive information she had offered to the inner circle. Mara's fingers drummed on the hilt of her lightsaber as she thought. Even though the Imperials hadn't made any indication that they knew more about the Rebels than they should, Mara knew Vader. There had to be at least one more source he depended on, and she was positive it was someone who held higher rank than a ship mechanic.

General Airen Cracken asked her a question about the secret research installation hidden in the Maw Cluster. As answer, she brought up one of the files on the installation's scientists on a datapad in front of her, then slid it across the table to the man, who immediately descended into a discussion with Admiral Ackbar and General Carlist Rieekan, who sat next to him.

Two guards stood outside the door. She focused. Could they understand what she and the others were saying behind the plated glass and metal? One of them suddenly tilted his head back and opened his mouth while his companion said something with an exaggerated expression; he was laughing, she realized. Besides, with the way those two were indiscriminately broadcasting their thoughts around without even an apparent attempt at control, they were either extraordinarily highly trained and extremely talented in misdirection, or they were just two ordinary Rebels.

Mara frowned in disappointment, but resolved to check on them nonetheless. She knew how well she had constructed her own cover, so even though it was unlikely, it was still possible. Better to be paranoid and turn out wrong than be lazy and turn out dead_,_ she thought.

"What about these secret shipyards?" Admiral Hiram Drayson asked. "Miss Jade, you mentioned them briefly before."

Mara nodded, looking over at him as her fingers flickered over the controls to the table's holoprojector. She brought up the images of the shipyards sent to Intelligence in one of the reports by the mysterious Beta Source, an apparent double agent within the Empire who had not yet revealed its identity to the Rebellion.

"Vader is building several Star Destroyers, including at least two _Executor-_class ships, without the knowledge of the rest of the Imperial command," Mara said. "I was never involved with it, but I believe it has to do with whatever he and Thrawn are up to in the Unknown Regions. Neither of them ever told me anything about that, though. I only know about this because I overheard Vader and Thrawn talking about it on Bespin."

Several mouths pursed into frowns, but none drew into relief that she had no more information to offer. She scowled inwardly again, but kept her expression passive, giving no indication of her inner thoughts.

"Of course," she said coyly as she twirled her finger over one of the bolts on the table, "we might be able to ask the Beta Source to give us more information about those."

Amid flickers of surprise from the officers around the table - Mara wasn't supposed to know about Beta Source, she assumed - General Cracken adopted a thoughtful expression. "Do you know who it is? The Beta Source?" he asked.

Mara smirked inwardly, but again kept her face calm. "I have my suspicions."

She knew perfectly well that Beta Source was Malysa Kolos, but had decided not to tell anyone else about Malysa just yet. She had persuaded the others who'd been at Bespin to do the same; the young Jedi's position was already perilous enough, especially considering Mara's suspicions about another spy.

"Don't be ridiculous," said Admiral Drayson, looking over at Cracken. "For all we know, Beta Source is nothing but a hoax orchestrated by Vader himself. We might be walking into a trap."

"It's better than anything else we have," said Lieutenant Page, leader of a squad of Special Forces commandos. "Mara, is there any way we could contact the Beta Source, or at least know who it is so we know who we're dealing with?"

Mara's eyes narrowed. She had had her suspicious about Page before; he was the son of an Imperial senator, and though the possibility of him being a double agent was slight, it was still there. "You would risk breaking the Beta Source's cover?" she asked, and through the Force, sent a subtle compulsion to answer truthfully.

Page shifted his weight and looked down. Mara could sense that her compulsion had made him uncomfortable, which was largely its intended effect. "No," he said awkwardly. "I mean, I don't want to the Source to get caught,"

"We will continue to research these facilities as we are able," Ackbar declared. Mara caught a subtle movement from the admiral, and understood his meaning even without the Force. _Not here, not now_, he meant. _Later_.

She scowled and resumed tapping her lightsaber. She hated waiting.

* * *

None too soon for Mara, Luke, Leia, and the newly commissioned Commander Solo made their way into Admiral Ackbar's office, where he and Mara had been waiting. Luke immediately flashed Mara a smile, and she smiled back, sending him a warm greeting through the Force.

The Calamarian admiral was sitting behind his desk, which was reminiscent of a giant pearl from his homeworld, its lines smooth and rounded. He got to his feet as Luke, Leia and Han entered his office, giving them the Mon Cal equivalent of a smile.

"Your Highness, Commanders," he said in greeting, inclining a flipper-like hand at the chairs in front of his desk.

"There's a spy," Mara said as the trio sat down in the plush seats.

Leia frowned. "A spy? You're sure?"

Mara nodded. "Vader tends to lean toward 'overkill' strategies. He has always relied on multiple sources of information; even I was rarely his only source."

"Have you seen any indication that there's a spy?" Han asked. "Hidden transmissions?"

Mara frowned. "Well, no, but-"

"Then how do you know there is one?" Han interrupted. He wagged a finger at her. "Are you sure you're not just being paranoid, Red?"

"You're taking this too lightly, _Commander_ Solo," Leia emphasized. "If the spy is even half as good as Mara was, I doubt we'd even know they existed." She glanced at Mara. "No offense."

Mara lifted her hands. "The only reason you found out about me was because I let you."

"Do you have any idea who it is, then?" Luke asked.

She smirked. "If I did, do you think we'd still be letting them run around?" She saw the little light click in his mind and smiled at his embarrassed expression.

"In any case, we cannot let this continue, especially considering the delicate information regarding the Beta Source," Admiral Ackbar clarified. "Jedi Kolos is playing a dangerous game, especially now that we know her identity."

"We're still keeping her information limited to those who already know," Mara said. "But if the spy ever found out, they'd be more than happy to report it to Vader. And that would be _extremely_ unpleasant for Malysa."

Han suddenly sat up straighter. "I know how we can see if there are any more spies," he said excitedly.

Ackbar looked over at him curiously. "How?"

Han leaned forward in his chair. "Back in my smuggling days, we thought there was somebody tipping off the Imps about the locations of some of our runs after a few too many Imperial interceptions. So, we doctored up a few phony runs, let the locations slip around the people we thought were the informants, and had somebody wait to see if the Imps showed up."

Leia nodded appreciatively. "You want to do the same thing here."

Han nodded. "Right. We let it get around in the upper echelons that we think we know who Beta Source is, and want to contact them for the possibility of extraction. We circulate a classified list, - obviously not with Malysa's name on it - and if the Empire goes after any of those people, we'll know we still have a spy."

Ackbar gave the Calamarian equivalent of an amused smile. "Perhaps I ought to transfer you to Intelligence, Commander Solo," he said, his gravelly voice tinged with approval.

"So how are we going to make sure the Empire doesn't suspect this is a trick?" Leia asked.

"We treat the list like we think it's real," said Luke. "Like Mara said, only those of us who already know about Malysa will know the truth. The fewer people who know about this, the better."

"Agreed," Ackbar said, standing. "The four of you will compile the list. As it stands right now, only the five of us and Mon Mothma know Beta Source's true identity. We shall keep it that way during this operation." Ackbar placed his hands on his desk, his expression grave. "We all have much work to do," he said. "I recommend we start this operation as soon as possible."

* * *

"So, who goes on the list?" Han asked.

Luke leaned back in one of the couches in his quarters aboard _Home One_ and drummed the fingers of his cybernetic hand against the padded arm. "I know of a few officers I'd certainly like to put under suspicion, but it has to be believable."

From her seat next to him, Mara nodded. "All of the people we put on the list have to be strong possibilities for Beta Source, otherwise, we're not going to fool anyone. If we put, say, Thrawn or Darth Nova on here, it's going to be obvious it's a trick."

Next to Han, across from Luke and Mara, Leia slowly tapped the side of her datapad thoughtfully. Finally, she spoke, looking at Mara. "Do you know of any officers Vader already has suspicions about?"

The former Emperor's Hand shrugged. "I've spent a grand total of maybe three hours actually talking to Lord Vader in person in the last four years. I spent too much time in deep-cover assignments to be part of his inner circle. Sorry."

Han frowned, absently toying with the tie-down strap of his blaster. "Who were our possibilities for Beta Source when we didn't actually know who it was?"

Leia smiled wryly. "We didn't have _any _serious possibilities; that's why Intelligence was going so crazy over its reports."

Han chuckled. "Now I'm starting to regret thinking of this idea."

Mara looked over at Luke as she propped her head on one hand, reaching out with the other to lightly play with the ends of his nearly shoulder-length hair. "I say we try and get at least one Grand Admiral on this list. I wouldn't be at all sorry to see a few of them go. Zaarin is the first one that comes to mind."

Luke leaned back slightly, and Mara could sense he enjoyed the sensation of her fingers on his neck, but wasn't letting it distract him. He scrolled through the list of high-ranking Imperial officers on his datapad, weighing what he knew about each of them.

"I can think of a few officers who _shouldn't_ go on the list," Luke said. "General Dodonna served with a few of these men in the Army of the Republic during the Clone Wars. He says he wishes Firmus Piett was on our side; he's a good officer and a good man, even though he's fighting for the Empire."

Mara nodded. "I like Piett. It really is too bad he's on the wrong side."

"How about those Red Guards?" Han asked, tapping at his own datapad. "Intelligence doesn't know their identities, but I figure they're in a position to be believable."

"I _can_ help you there," Mara said. "I knew quite a few of the Royal Guard, and you're right; they're privy to a lot of sensitive information just by being near Lord Vader. Some of them almost function as the same kind of agent I was; I worked with a man named Kanos several times on missions." She frowned. "But we can't use him; there is no way Kir would ever release information to the Rebellion. If anything, he's probably the one Vader will send after the people he suspects."

Han sighed, putting his arm around Leia's shoulders. "Catching spies is hard work. We don't even know for sure there _is_ another spy here; we just have suspicions right now."

"Oh, there's definitely at least one," Mara said firmly. "Vader said something at Bespin."

"What did he say?" Leia asked.

"It was when we were making plans on where to take you after Vader left the city," Mara replied. "Thrawn suggested allowing at least one of your group to escape so that we could track them to the fleet, but Vader said he had a way of finding the fleet anyway, so we didn't have to bother."

Han sat up straighter. "He didn't put another damn homing beacon on my ship, did he?" he said, his body tensing as if he intended to run down to the hangar right now and check.

Mara shook her head. "Not that I know of," she said placatingly. "But," she amended, eyes widening in realization, "I know they did board the _Falcon_ to deactivate the hyperdrive, so it _is _a possibility."

Han swore as he jumped to his feet, snatching out his comlink. "I can't believe I didn't think of this before!" he snarled as he punched the keys on the small device. "Chewie!" he barked into the comlink. "Get out the scanners; we might have a bug on the _Falcon_ somewhere."

Mara heard the Wookiee's enraged answering bellow through the device, and glanced at Luke as he stood, ready to go down and help. "I'll send Artoo," he said. "If there's a transmitter on your ship, it'll have to be drawing power from the _Falcon_'s systems to work at any kind of long distance. Artoo can interface with the computer and find out if there's anything there that doesn't belong."

Han nodded, but waved Luke back. "You three stay here and keep working," he said. "We gotta get this done as fast as we can. Lando can help me and Chewie; he knows the _Falcon_ almost as well as we do."

With that, the Corellian hurried out of Luke's quarters, headed down to _Home One_'s hangar bay.

Leia sighed, sinking back into the couch. "Back to work, then."

* * *

As it turned out, there were no foreign devices on the _Millennium Falcon_, but Han, Chewbacca and Lando _did_ find several systems that were on the verge of catastrophic failure. Lando, still feeling some measure of possessiveness toward his former ship, demanded that he be allowed to give the _Falcon_ a complete overhaul. Han reluctantly conceded, on the condition that Chewbacca would supervise.

Lando, dressed in a mechanic's coverall instead of his preferred expensive tailored clothing, was crammed into one of the maintenance hatches, muttering irritably to himself about the condition Han and Chewie kept the _Falcon_ in.

"What is this?" he demanded as his fingers moved across the remains of a long-removed system deep inside the hatch. "Did you two actually have _fluidic systems_ in here once?" he said incredulously.

Standing above him, Chewbacca growled that they indeed had, but had gotten rid of them as soon as possible.

"I didn't think anybody actually sold that junk anymore," Lando murmured around the minilamp clenched between his teeth. "I am genuinely sorry I lost you, old girl," he said in apology to the _Falcon_. "These two have not been treating you right at all."

Chewbacca snarled his objection to this, and Lando quickly muttered a halfhearted apology to sate the Wookiee's anger. Chewie was already peevish just from Lando being here; the gambler suspected the Wookiee still hadn't quite forgiven him for what had happened at Bespin.

With 'Commander Han' off working on whatever his assignment from Ackbar was, Lando knew he would at least be able to get some work done even with Chewbacca breathing down his neck the whole time. He figured he owed it to the _Falcon_ for being stupid enough to put her up as stakes in a sabacc game with Han Solo in the first place.

* * *

Over the next few days, as Lando and Chewie worked on the _Falcon_, Han and his group quietly let the list be known among the higher-level officers of Alliance Intelligence, adding that they thought it might be a good idea to work out a way to contact Beta Source and arrange for their extraction before Vader's counterintelligence people caught on.

From that point, all there was to do was wait.

The waiting turned out to be far shorter than they had anticipated. Three days later to be exact, while Leia was eating a quiet dinner with Han, Luke, and Mara in her quarters aboard the flagship, the door buzzed. She, Luke, and Mara instantly jumped to their feet, sensing through the Force that the visitor had more than just a friendly greeting on her mind. Leia, who was closest to the door, moved to open it.

Winter stood outside, and she quickly moved in as soon as Leia stepped aside. "Someone just tried to use the long-range comm unit," she announced to the group. "It was subtle, and we almost didn't catch it, but we did manage to block the transmission before it went out. The access was unauthorized; if we hadn't been watching closely, we might not have detected it at all." She glanced over at Mara. "As you recommended, we did let the transmission last long enough to trace its destination, then cut it off. It was headed for the next sector, where the long-range sensors picked up an Imperial battle group on patrol."

"You catch who was trying to do it?" Han said as he got up.

Winter shook her head. "We did manage to trace the terminal, but the security cameras in that section suffered a 'mysterious malfunction' five minutes before the transmission went out."

Leia looked over at her brother, who nodded slightly before looking over at Mara. "What would be the best thing to do now?" Luke asked her.

"Well, if it was me," Mara said, tapping her fingers on her lightsaber at her side, "and the computer locked me out while I was trying to send a transmission, I'd know someone was onto me right about now. I'd be expecting the whole ship to go into lockdown, so I'd be looking for the quickest way out of here before the fleet jumps to hyperspace."

Han was on his feet and moving for the door. "Tell Ackbar to seal off the fighter bays," he said to Winter. "The last thing we need is to have to chase the spy around out there."

Luke pulled his outer robe straighter as he got up. "We'd better lock down the other hangars, too," he said, absently reaching down to adjust his belt. Leia noticed the almost imperceptible frown when his hand brushed the place where his lightsaber usually hung and found it missing.

"Ackbar has already sent additional guards to all the essential systems in case of sabotage," Winter said, opening the door. She tapped at the keys on her comlink as the group moved out into the hall.

Mara suddenly stopped, and Leia turned to look at her. "What is it?" she said.

The former Imperial agent's face was thoughtful. "Where was the terminal the spy used?" she asked.

"Level 5, section E," Winter replied immediately.

Mara suddenly grinned, and there was something disturbingly predatory about that smile. "You go on and help the others with the lockdown. I think I know where the spy is going."

"You need any help?" Luke asked.

Mara's grin became scarier. "No, I can handle it."

With that, she turned and jogged off through the hall.

"That woman is profoundly unnerving sometimes," Han said, watching her leave. "I'm sure glad she ain't on the other team anymore."

"You and me both," Luke said, also looking after her. He turned and clapped Han on the shoulder. "Come on, we've got work to do."

* * *

Moving quickly but quietly, the Imperial agent slipped into one of the hangar bays of _Home One_, carrying several datachips filled with information on the Beta Source operation and more about the Alliance itself.

The agent crept through the hangar, looking for a ship to steal. It was risky, but it had to be done; this information _had_ to get to Lord Vader as soon as possible, before the Rebels could flee this hiding place. At top speed, the Imperial battle group to which she had attempted to send her transmission could be here in minutes, well before the Rebels could get their fleet organized enough to jump into hyperspace.

All of the X-wings and other fighters aboard the flagship were securely locked down, the agent discovered. If she wanted to send the message, she would have to do it with the comm array on one of the larger ships docked here, like a shuttle or one of the freighters.

Fortunately for the agent, it appeared that Lando Calrissian was working on Han Solo's ship late tonight, as he had been for the last several days; the exterior lights were on, and movement could be heard inside. Beyond the elongated shape of the modified freighter, the hangar doors were wide open, with only a forcefield between her and open space.

The agent hadn't heard any alarms yet, but she knew the Rebels were onto her; they were probably trying to be quiet so as not to let _her_ know that she'd been found out. She scoffed inwardly; as if being locked out of the computer in the first stage of access to the long-range antenna hadn't been enough evidence. Only a rookie would be stupid enough to believe that the long-range comm antenna was under maintenance and couldn't send transmissions right now. '_Sorry for the inconvenience'_, indeed. Somebody was being cute with that one.

Quickly and quietly, the agent moved to the ramp of the _Millennium_ _Falcon_, blaster in hand. Stealing this ship was risky, but she was out of time, and there was no other alternative.

The agent moved up the ramp, blaster at the ready. The interior hold was dim, the lights off, but she could sense that there was someone else inside. Attempting to track the faint sounds of breathing, the agent raised her blaster, finger on the trigger.

"The ownership of this vessel has been in dispute at times," a darkly amused woman's voice said, freezing the agent in place, "but I'm quite sure it doesn't belong to you."

The lights suddenly flared on, and the agent saw Mara Jade sitting behind the gameboard in the center of the hold, her boots propped up on the table and a blaster in her hand, pointed right between the agent's eyes.

"Shira Brie," Mara said, all amusement vanishing from her tone. "A Rogue Squadron pilot, even. I have to say, even I hadn't expected this. We were just hoping to confirm that there _was_ a spy; the fact that you were stupid enough to get caught this quickly is just priceless." She mockingly pretended to think this over for a moment. "Makes me wonder how you managed to avoid getting caught for this long, pulling an amateur stunt like this."

Shira trembled with barely controlled fury, her fingers tightening around her blaster. "Jade, you _traitor_!" she snarled. "I can't believe you would betray Lord Vader like this!"

"So, you knew who I was," Mara said with a calculating expression, her blaster remaining perfectly still. "I've never seen you before, though. Knowing who you really are, that is. So, who are you? Imperial Intelligence? Did Isard plant you here?"

Shira gave her only a stony glare, and to this Mara smirked.

"You might as well tell me now," she said. Her expression shifted to open threat. "Because you _are_ going to tell me."

"Lord Vader will be very pleased when I bring him your head," said Shira, her voice low and dangerous.

Mara mockingly pretended to ponder this. "Well, there's a problem with that," she said sardonically. "I happen to like my head right where it is."

She exploded into motion, launching herself out of the acceleration couch right at Shira as she fired with her blaster. Her stun blast missed Shira by millimeters, but Shira's bolt nicked Jade's shoulder.

Ignoring the pain, Mara crashed into the Imperial agent, letting go of her blaster as she pounded the other woman with ruthless efficiency. Shira was well-trained, though, and she managed to counter the blows, trying to squirm away. Mara got an elbow in the chin, and as this jolted her back, Shira snapped out her leg and kicked Mara back into the gameboard.

Shira leaped to her feet, calling upon the Force to pull one of the blasters into her hand, but the quick-to-recover Mara lashed out with a sweep kick and knocked Shira off-balance. Mara jumped up and slammed her fist into the agent's jaw, which in turn knocked the back of her head solidly into the wall. Shira dropped heavily to the deck, unconscious.

"Thanks for your help," Mara said sarcastically toward the cockpit passageway, sweeping her hair back out of her face with one hand. Her shoulder stung with the action, but she ignored it.

Lando stepped into the hold, a blaster in his hand and a smile on his face. "You looked like you had everything under control," he said amusedly. He gestured down at the unconscious spy. "Need any help with that?"

Mara smiled mock-cheerfully as she clapped him on the shoulder. "No, you've got it under control," she said, smirking.

Realizing her meaning, Lando sighed as he holstered his blaster and bent to pick up the spy.

* * *

When Mara entered the observation room outside the interrogation room, she saw Luke staring at Shira Brie through the one-way mirror. Through the Force, she caught a glimpse of what he was thinking: here was, if possible, a woman he was even less likely to have pegged as an Imperial spy than Mara herself. He'd flown several missions with Shira along with the rest of Rogue Squadron, and never before today had she given the slightest indication she was anything other than a loyal member of the Alliance.

On top of that, Shira was also sensitive to the Force. That made two of them who'd managed to hide their abilities from him for several years. Luke sighed irritably, crossing his arms. Mara knew Luke was discouraged about having failed to recognize not just one but _two_ Force-sensitives in the Alliance, but to herself, she thought that it was hardly his fault; Vader knew far more about the Force than Luke did, and had instructed his students thoroughly, especially in areas of stealth and secrecy. Despite Mara's efforts, she knew, Luke had picked up on her Force sensitivity at least once during the three years she'd been undercover, but had assumed it to be merely latent potential, from his comments at the time.

"Has she said anything?" Mara asked as she walked over to him. She had tied back her hair, and it now hung out of her way down her back. She had also bandaged her shoulder, insisting on doing it herself, much to the Alliance medic's annoyance. It hadn't been out of any particular distrust of the man's abilities, though; she just preferred to treat her own injuries when possible. That, and irritating people was always amusing.

Luke shook his head. "Nothing I'd care to repeat."

He smiled as Mara reached over and flicked a lock of hair at his neck. She held up an elastic tie similar to the one in her hair, her green eyes twinkling mischievously.

"You need to borrow one?" she asked teasingly.

"No, thank you," Luke said amusedly. "Why, you think my hair's too long?"

Mara pretended to study his longish sandy blond hair for a moment. "You are starting to look a bit on the scruffy side," she concluded mock-seriously.

"_Who's_ scruffy-looking?" Luke demanded in his best impression of Han, and Mara laughed.

"Well, if you're not going to cut it," she said, moving a bit closer, "maybe you need some braids or something. I think you could pull off a warrior braid or two."

Luke smiled slightly, leaning in closer to her. "You know, I don't think I'm a warrior braid kind of guy," he said softly.

"I didn't think so," she agreed just as softly, one hand coming up to the back of his neck.

Just then, the door to the observation room opened, and Luke embarrassedly moved back, as did Mara.

Lando shook his head amusedly, grinning as he walked inside, a datapad under his arm. "A time and a place, children," he said mock-reprovingly.

Luke started to blush, and attempted to cover himself by clearing his throat as he moved over to the gambler. "That the list of questions?" he asked, self-consciously smoothing down his clothes.

Lando grinned obnoxiously at him before holding up the datapad. "Yes," he said, his smile fading into a businesslike expression. "They want Han and Mara to interrogate her while we get Madine over here."

"My pleasure," said Mara, smiling unpleasantly. "I haven't done a good interrogation in a long time."

* * *

Mara slammed open the door to the interrogation room and barged in, glaring belligerently at the woman seated behind the plain metal table.

"All right, start talking," she said impatiently, advancing on Shira as Han closed the door behind him. She gestured to her bandaged shoulder. "You've already put me in a bad mood today, and trust me, you don't want it to get any worse."

Shira Brie only sneered in reaction. "Cheap theatrics, Jade? And I was told you were good at this."

Mara shrugged, then reached over, grabbed a fistful of Shira's hair, and smacked her face into the metal table. "Better?" she said with sarcastic sweetness.

Shira leaned back in her chair, nodding slightly as she gingerly touched her nose. A bit of blood had begun leaking from her nostrils, and she glanced at the residue on her fingertips before looking back up at Mara. "More what I'd expect from an Emperor's Hand," she said darkly.

"_An_ Emperor's Hand?" Mara demanded, keeping up the façade of anger as she puzzled over this.

Shira sneered again. "What, you thought you were the only one?" She chuckled derisively. "You thought you were Vader's prize student, privy to all his little interesting secrets?" She scoffed. "You don't know half as much as you think you do."

"Why don't you enlighten us, then?" said Han, sitting down in the other chair. He folded his arms across his chest and leaned back in deceptive laziness, lifting his brows as further prompt.

"Right," Shira snapped, her voice dripping with sarcasm. "I'm just going to go right ahead and tell you everything you want to know. Where shall I start?"

Mara reached out and slapped the back of Shira's head, provoking an angry glare. "I think you need to speak to us with a little more respect, Brie," she said condescendingly. As Shira seethed, she reached out and did it again.

Shira started to come out of her chair, but Mara grabbed her shoulder and none-too-gently shoved her back down. "None of that now," she said in the same condescending tone. "You really ought to be able to control yourself better."

All this was precisely calculated; if there was one thing guaranteed to make a Sith angry enough to start making mistakes, it was treating them as an inferior. Mara suspected Shira was, in fact, a Sith - possibly even another Emperor's Hand, despite the implications this rose in her mind.

"You're not going anywhere," said Han. "This entire warship knows you're a spy. This entire _fleet_ knows you're a spy. If you tried to escape, you'd have to get through me, her, Luke Skywalker, and a whole lot of Alliance soldiers." He leaned across the table, his voice going low and deadly serious. "And silence just makes the both of us mad."

Shira sneered again, but said nothing.

"Make things a little easier for yourself," Han said. "Start talking. You tell us what we want to know, and maybe I'll tell Mara here to stay away from you. Keep up the silent treatment, and I'll let her loose."

Mara smirked; Han made an excellent interrogation partner.

Shira glared across the table at him. "No," she said, fixing a venomous look on Mara. "I'm not a traitor like you."

"Oh," Mara said mock-woundedly, injecting a heavy dose of sarcasm into her voice, "I'm hurt, I really am." She stopped and placed both hands on the table, leaning uncomfortably close to the Imperial agent. "Where are the bugs you've planted?"

Shira said nothing, silently glaring back at her with her arms crossed over her chest.

"Are there any more of Vader's agents hidden here?" Mara demanded, sending out a powerful compulsion to obey through the Force.

The Imperial agent's mental shields held, though Mara could tell a great deal of effort went into maintaining them. She sensed Shira gathering the Force to herself in retaliation, so she reached out and flicked the agent's ear with a fingernail, as if reproving a disobedient animal. "Cut that out," she said admonishingly.

Shira's nostrils flared with anger, so Mara did it again. The agent was nearly there now, and much too quickly; she must not have paid enough attention during training.

Despite Shira's increasing rage, Mara knew, just asking questions wasn't going to get them anywhere. Mara scowled, rapidly losing patience with Shira's lack of cooperation. This wasn't getting them anywhere, she thought. Time for a different approach.

Mara delivered another calculated strike. "You know, you're not much of an agent. Lord Vader must have had to relax his standards to let you in. I wasn't even breathing hard after I took you out."

"You're the weak one," Shira sneered, gesturing at the bandage visible beneath Mara's sleeve. "You let these Rebels soften you until you're just as disgustingly cowardly as they are." She leaned forward, glaring right back at Mara. "I am a better Emperor's Hand than you ever were!"

Trying to ignore the flare of anger this provoked in her despite her attempt at control, Mara shook her head in mock disappointment. "I'm afraid not," she said derisively. "See, I never got _caught_." As she said the last word, she slapped the back of Shira's head again.

Shira's eyes blazed with fury, and in that moment Mara knew she was ready. There was only one way to get the information she wanted out of the Imperial agent, and it most definitely wasn't by asking.

Narrowing her eyes in concentration, Mara grabbed Shira's neck just under her chin with one hand and used the Force to push her will inside the Imperial agent's mind, smashing past the faltering shields. She ruthlessly rifled through Shira Brie's memories, extracting what she wanted to know.

Mara heard Luke's voice sharply tell her to stop, but she ignored him, pushing deeper. As if from very far away, she heard Shira screaming in pain at the mental invasion, but she tuned this out, pushing deeper and deeper as she ripped the wanted information out of the agent's mind. There was indeed much Shira knew that Mara had not; for instance, there were at least four others with the title of Emperor's Hand. They were all supposed to be unaware of the others' existence, but Shira had accidentally overheard Grand Admiral Thrawn talking with one of the others, and, curious, had sliced her way into the Sith Temple's computers, intent on finding out more about these potential rivals.

The names remained tantalizingly out of reach, so Mara pushed harder. Shira screamed in agony, but again Mara ignored her, intent on her goal. She pushed harder and deeper, her will like a scalpel that cut away the obstructions in her way.

She was nearly there when she felt Han's hand on her shoulder. "Mara, that's enough!" he said sharply.

"I'm not done!" Mara snarled, shoving him backwards with the Force. She tried to ignore the disruption and push further, but Han grabbed her shoulders with both hands and sharply yanked her away from the Imperial agent.

Furious at the interference, Mara slammed her elbow into Han's face, whirling to strike again.

The sharp _crack_ of bone and Han's startled curse were like a sudden bucket of ice water splashed in her face. Mara froze, staring at the Corellian, who had stumbled against the far wall, one hand pressed to his nose, which was bleeding copiously down the front of his shirt.

Her next blow would have killed him.

Her fist would have next impacted his windpipe with enough force to crush it, then she would have snapped his neck for good measure, next in the sequence of the rapid disable-and-kill maneuver Vader and her other instructors had drilled into her so thoroughly it was almost automatic.

Mara drew in a slow, shuddering breath, realizing just how close she had come to something she would have regretted for the rest of her life - what remained of it, for even the Alliance would surely have executed her for something like this.

The room was quiet. Even Luke's presence, which she had felt through the Force screaming at her to stop, had stilled into shocked silence. She realized her hand was still up, and slowly lowered it. Han stared back at her, his expression a mixture of shock and fury. His other hand, she saw, was on his blaster, frozen in the midst of unsnapping its holster.

Behind her, Shira had slipped into unconsciousness, slumped across the table. Mara stared at her prone form for a moment, then glanced back up at Han.

She opened her mouth for an apology, found she could get no words out, then closed it so quickly her teeth clicked together painfully and dashed from the room.

Luke was waiting with a reproving look on his face, emerging from the traces of the stunned look he'd had just a moment before. "Mara, what did-"

She held up a hand to cut him off. "I know," she said unsteadily. "I… I shouldn't have done that. That was…" Mara sighed, leaning against the wall.

Luke's expression shifted to one of concern. "You still have traces of the Dark Side in you," he said. "It makes it harder to control yourself."

Mara's emotions roiled within her, and she was unable to reply for a moment. "I know, Luke. I…" She trailed off again, and sighed, rubbing her temples with thumb and middle finger. "I did find out that she was the only agent she knew of on board," she said, unable to think of anything else to say. "We have some bugs to find, too."

"All right," Luke said, gently touching her shoulder. "Let's go, then."

* * *

Under Mara's direction, a team of Alliance techs spent the rest of the night and the better part of the next day finding and neutralizing all the bugs Shira had planted around _Home One_. Fortunately, she'd never managed to get one in Admiral Ackbar's office or in the quarters of any of the Alliance leaders, though she had managed to plant not one but three in the briefing room.

General Crix Madine, an Imperial defector, arrived with one of his Special Forces squads and aided in the operation, then took over the interrogation of the prisoner, once she finally regained her wits.

Mara was only too happy to let him; her actions during her own interrogation still troubled her, and she didn't trust herself to be anywhere near the prisoner right now. She had gone to her usual place for quiet introspection and meditation, an observation dome near the rear of _Home One_.

What was wrong with her? She'd abandoned the Sith and all their teachings when she had joined the Rebellion, or so she thought.

Even after she had sworn to change, the fact that her old habits had come surging back so easily disturbed Mara deeply. That she had even then turned and struck Han, a man she'd nearly gotten herself killed trying to rescue, was even worse. Mara thought she had rejected the Dark Side, but apparently, it hadn't rejected _her_.

Before he even lifted his hand to knock on the outer door, Mara knew Luke had come to talk to her. Part of it was the fact that she could sense his presence and even feel some of his surface thoughts at times through their increasingly strong bond in the Force, but it was also the kind of thing he would do; Luke Skywalker was not one to leave a problem - especially one concerning her - unresolved for long.

_Come on in, Luke,_ she sent through the Force, in too much of a somber mood even to use one of her usual teasing nicknames.

As the door opened and Luke walked in, Mara could see that his face was very calm, enviably so, as he walked over to take a seat next to her. Ever since he had come back from training with Master Yoda, he had seemed much more at peace, much more able to keep his own emotions in check. Mara wished she could do that herself; it might have prevented what had happened last night.

"How's Han?" she asked, moving aside on the low couch to make room for him.

"Grumpy," Luke replied with a slight trace of amusement. "You broke his nose, though the surgeon says he can fix it without any permanent damage. I'd stay out of his way for a few weeks, if I were you."

Mara sighed heavily, resting her chin on her knees as she pulled her legs up against her chest. Luke reached over and touched her arm gently.

"Do you want to talk about what happened?" he asked.

Mara sighed again as she leaned back into the couch. "Not really, but I suppose I should." She looked over at him. "I used to do that kind of thing all the time when I worked for Vader. I guess I slipped back into the old habits."

Luke opened his mouth to say something, but Mara held up a hand.

"I know it was wrong," she said. "Invading someone's mind like that is a violent process, most definitely a Dark Side technique." She looked off into space. "I never gave it much thought before, since I had always thought anything I did was justified. Vader's philosophy has always been that the ends justify the means, and that's how I was brought up. Anything that works is the best solution, even if it means doing something like that."

She was silent for a long moment, but to his credit, Luke said nothing, and let her go at her own pace. He simply sat next to her, silently giving off an air of solidarity and reassurance.

"I've…" Mara had to pause again. "I've done that before," she said slowly. "More times than I care to think about." She looked over at Luke again. "And that's hardly the worst thing I've done at Vader's direction. I spent years in service to that man, doing anything he asked of me, but it was like I couldn't see how wrong all the things I was doing were until I met you and Obi-Wan at Alderaan."

Luke was also quiet for a long moment. "Well, the fact that you know that the Dark Side is wrong and are trying to rid yourself of its influence is what makes you different than Vader," he said finally. "You've already taken the first steps on the right path, but it's not going to be easy."

Mara took a breath and slowly let it out, thinking of how easily she had lost control. "No, it's not."

"But," said Luke, "I'm here for you. Anytime you need help or just want someone to talk to, I'm here." He paused for a moment, a thoughtful expression coming over his face as he looked up at the stars.

Finally, he turned to her again. "I think it's time," he said. "I need to go back to Master Yoda, and I'm going to take you and Leia with me. All three of us need to know whatever he can teach us, if we're going to finish this."

"We'll be the only Jedi left," Mara said quietly. "Darth Nova has killed all of the others, I think." She looked up at the star field overhead. "Not many Jedi escaped the original purge by Darth Sidious, but Vader and Nova have hunted down almost all of the ones that did. Vader has over two thousand Sith, Luke. If he decides to throw them all at us…"

"The Jedi have come back from worse," Luke said. "But even if he had two million Sith, I'd still fight. Even if I can't win, it's still the right thing to do."

Mara allowed herself a small smile at the characteristic Skywalker bravado. "I know. I'm just trying to tell you what we're getting into, here."

Luke smiled back. "Well, as Han would say, never tell me the odds."

"Oh, great," Mara said teasingly. "That's all we need; you taking up Corellian philosophy. Next thing I know, you'll be swaggering around here and grinning at anything female that walks past you."

Luke smiled. "I don't think I'm a 'swaggering' kind of guy, either."

"It's a good thing," Mara replied dryly, knowing he was trying to lift her mood - and letting him do it. "You'd probably trip on your robe or something."

Luke laughed out loud. "Oh, is that what you think?" he said as he put his arm around her shoulders.

Grinning, Mara imagined Luke exaggeratedly swaggering down a hallway of the flagship with a big grin on his face, then stepping on the hem of his robe and falling on his face. She projected it to Luke, and he laughed even harder.

In playful retaliation, he projected an image of her doing the exact same thing, and this sent them both into fits of laughter.

As the laughter gradually trickled away, Mara realized that this may have been the first time in her life she had ever laughed this hard; Vader did have a sense of humor, but it tended to be on the sardonic, unpleasant side. Back when he had still been Galen Marek, Vader's apprentice had sometimes been good for a lighthearted exchange, but it seemed that, as with so many other things when he had ascended to Sith Lord, Darth Nova's sense of humor had vanished entirely.

Her life had been all duty before; there was only the mission, or training to get ready for the next one. There was never any time to just _be_, to relax in the company of good friends or laugh just for the sheer pleasure of it.

Luke was right; she had a long way to go yet, but Mara knew the path she had chosen was the right one. It wouldn't be easy, but hardly anything worth doing was.

Outside, the star-speckled blackness stretched and then blurred into the swirling blue tunnel of hyperspace as the fleet moved on to a new hiding place.

* * *

-/\\-


	26. Allies of Convenience

-/\\-

* * *

**Allies of Convenience**

_NOW (Three months after the Battle of Hoth)_

Grand Admiral Thrawn stood on the bridge of the Imperial flagship_ Executor_, gazing out into the cold, star-speckled vacuum of deep space. The void was a particularly stable place for him to think. No matter how many empires rose and fell, no matter what events occurred, no matter if tomorrow every life and planet and star vanished into nothingness, the void itself remained the same. It was merciless, chaos incarnate in the form of a black emptiness that stretched to infinity.

Thrawn caught the red-glare reflection of his eyes in the viewport. He shivered involuntarily. Despite all the brilliant intricacies of the ship systems, the thousands of mechanics and navigators and engineers and androids, the fact remained that only a few centimeters of transparisteel separated their fragile bubble of defiance from the void.

Thrawn held out his hand against the partition, blue against black, and felt the cold and nearly imperceptible trembling of the transparisteel as it resisted the void. How similar it was, Thrawn mused, to the thin veil that separated man's sanity from utter chaos.

Or an event, for that matter, such as the Emperor's trap for his son at Bespin; the plan had been simple, and during the initial stages, everything had worked perfectly. And yet, fractures - indiscernible to even Thrawn's well-trained eye - had shattered the veil and sent their plans reeling into chaos. Not only had Skywalker escaped, but so had Solo and his crew, including Leia Organa, whom Thrawn now knew was Lord Vader's daughter. He allowed himself a small smile. Lord Vader did not know Thrawn knew this, of course, as he had not told anyone after Agent Jade had reported her findings to him. But, the Grand Admiral made it his business to know anything that could possibly be of use to him in a future strategy, and so, after one of his monitoring programs alerted him to the fact that Agent Jade had accessed some of Lord Vader's private files remotely, he had directed the program to discreetly copy all of Jade's findings and send them back to him.

The news that Leia Organa was in fact the twin sister of Luke Skywalker had surprised Thrawn when he first saw the genetic comparison results, but, as usual, he quickly began to formulate strategy based on this, specifically what would be required to counteract _two_ Jedi fighting for the Rebellion. More than twenty years of association with Darth Vader had taught Thrawn to never underestimate an opponent, especially when that opponent wielded the mysterious and largely unpredictable power of the Force.

Three Jedi_,_ Thrawn quickly corrected mentally. Now that Jade had defected to the Rebellion, this, too required further strategy, and quickly. Jade had been a member of Vader's inner circle, one of his personal agents nearly her entire life, and what she knew could be incredibly damaging to the Empire in the hands of the Rebels. Most of Thrawn's attention for the last few months had been put to finding out exactly what Jade knew and what could be done to make this knowledge useless to the Rebellion. Had Thrawn been of lesser intellect, he would have despaired; Jade knew almost everything he and Vader did - including some information that was known only to the three of them and Darth Nova - and even some things Vader had not seen fit to trust to his Sith Apprentice. But, the task was not impossible, only difficult. He had been forced to excise an Emperor's Hand once before, after all.

Oddly, instead of flying into a rage, as could be expected from the normally short-fused Sith Master, Vader had taken the news of Jade's defection with remarkable calm. True, it was rumored that he had completely destroyed his personal training room later, from some noises passing crewmen had heard outside his suite of rooms shortly after leaving Bespin, but in public Vader had somehow managed to keep himself under total control.

That hadn't lasted long, however; less than a week later, Vader had nearly killed a junior officer merely for being too slow to get out of his way. This odd dichotomy of restraint and temper had continued ever since they had left Bespin, making Vader almost completely unpredictable, even more so than usual.

The Emperor's recent unpredictability had made Thrawn revise a number of his strategies for the possibility of Vader someday going completely berserk and forgetting his agreement with Thrawn in the process. Vader was highly likely to do something irrational right now, and that could not be allowed, not if Thrawn wanted to maintain his long-term plans.

Truthfully, while Thrawn knew the first Sith Lord he'd had contact with, the one called Sidious, would have been far less likely to allow his rage to control him like Vader did, working with Vader was still preferable. Sidious had viewed Thrawn as nothing more than another piece on his dejarik board, to be sacrificed if necessary, while Vader seemed to genuinely consider him a valuable ally, nearly an equal instead of just another servant.

Service under Emperor Palpatine would have been tolerable, and he might have still accomplished his long-term goals, but with Vader as Emperor, the probability was much higher; Vader knew, personally, the magnitude of the threat that lurked on the borders of his Empire, and he was fully willing to devote huge amounts of resources to the classified Vanguard Fleet they were assembling in what the Empire called the Unknown Regions. Under Palpatine, those resources would have gone instead to one of his grossly expensive - and impractical - superweapons like that Death Star Tarkin had been developing before Vader had him executed for plotting to seize the throne for himself.

When Vader had raided Tarkin's secret installation hidden in the Maw Cluster of black holes, Thrawn had seen blueprints for a number of astonishingly wasteful weapons; Palpatine and Tarkin had been planning weapons that were designed to kill huge numbers of people in as impressive a way as possible, using fear to keep the people of the Empire in line. Despite the alleged 'cautionary' nature of the superweapons, there was little doubt Palpatine and Tarkin would have used all of them at least once.

While Thrawn appreciated the strategic value of a weapon capable of vaporizing a planet or forcing a sun to go supernova, he saw weapons such as these as realistically being only a last-resort measure, to be used when the enemy's forces were so overwhelming that there was no other option. The destruction of even one star had massive repercussions on gravity for all nearby sectors; entire hyperspace lanes had become useless after the destruction of three stars in the Ssi-Ruuk War by Vader and Nova, and it had been years before new routes through the affected sectors were safely plotted.

The scientists in the Maw Installation were now hard at work on far more useful pursuits - mainly finding ways to counter the bizarre organic technology of the Far Outsiders by experimenting on a vessel Thrawn had captured personally back in his days with the Expansionary Defense Force of his own people.

A search was also in progress, at Lord Vader's command, for a sentient planet named Zonama Sekot, which the Emperor had encountered in his youth, a few years before the Clone Wars. After hearing Thrawn's descriptions of what he knew of the Far Outsiders, Vader had said that he thought Zonama Sekot might somehow be related.

"Transmission from Lord Vader, Admiral," the junior comm officer called up to him. "He asks for you to meet him in his quarters."

"Acknowledged," Thrawn replied. "Admiral Piett, you have the bridge."

Piett nodded smartly, promptly asking for a status update as Thrawn left.

* * *

_THEN (Twelve Standard days after the reorganization of the Republic into the Empire)_

Without having met the new Emperor face to face, the first impression Mitth'raw'nurodo had of Darth Vader was that he was a man of action.

The Sith Emperor had, along with his old master, Darth Sidious, eliminated most of the Jedi forces in a single day. Thrawn knew little of the conflict between the Sith and the Jedi, but the fact that two men could destroy an entire order containing tens of thousands of members was undeniably impressive.

The new Emperor had, after his master's death at the hands of the Jedi, immediately taken control of the situation and provided a single point of clarity for the rest of the galaxy, effectively keeping it from tearing itself apart.

And yet the new Emperor, despite having inconceivable pressures mounting on him regarding the reorganization of an entire galaxy's political structure, had set aside time to talk with him, an outcast and an alien, about a matter that, to most men, would seem too distant to deal with at the moment.

Thrawn stood in front of the doors to the Office of the Chancellor in the Senate Building on Coruscant. He wore a plain gray jumpsuit, taken from the stores of the _Strikefast_, which had picked him up from the nameless jungle planet to which he had been exiled by the Chiss government several years previously. His hair was still long and somewhat ragged from his years away from civilization, but he hadn't had time to have it trimmed yet, so he had simply tied it back out of the way. From what he knew of this Emperor Skywalker, the man cared little for ceremony or formality, anyway. There were more pressing matters to be discussed. Besides, Vader had ordered Captain Parck, the man who had found Thrawn in exile, to bring the Chiss warrior to him as fast as possible, leaving no time for Thrawn to tend to trivial matters like his appearance.

Darth Vader was a man of action _and_ punctuality, the former Chiss commander mused. Both were valuable assets in an ally.

Thrawn had had little time to observe the planet Coruscant on the way here, as the shuttle had flown directly from orbit to the Senate building, and he had quickly been ushered to the Chancellor's office, which Vader was using until he decided on a more permanent location from which he would be ruling the new Empire. Even still, Thrawn had had time to see that Coruscant was like no other planet he had ever visited; the entire surface was covered with buildings, making the whole world one enormous city containing nearly a trillion inhabitants, from what the pilot of the shuttle had said on the way here.

Upon hearing footsteps approaching across the red carpeting outside the office, Thrawn turned to see Darth Vader walking towards him, flanked by two red-robed soldiers carrying force pikes and wearing smooth, bullet-shaped helmets. Thrawn had not yet seen even an image of the Emperor, and so he was surprised to note that the current head of the galactic government was a young human who could not have been more than twenty-two or twenty-three, with wavy dark blond hair that nearly touched his shoulders, wearing a plain black military uniform and cloak. Vader's face was unusually serious, but there was a hint of sadness about his expression, also, though it was obvious he was trying to keep himself under control.

Vader glanced up at Thrawn, then turned to a shorter human who had been walking with him. "Postpone the rest of my appointments until I send for you again," he said to the shorter man, presumably an aide.

The man frowned, seemed about to say something, but then glanced up at the tall Emperor's back and apparently decided against it. "Yes, my lord," he said quickly, tapping something out on his datapad.

Vader did not even stop on his way into his office past Thrawn. "Please, come in," he said as he passed him. As he opened the door, Vader looked back at his guards. "Wait outside," he said. The two soldiers wordlessly took up positions on either side of the door, not even breaking stride as they obeyed his orders.

Inside, Vader's office was a huge circular room decorated mostly in red, with an enormous viewport that spanned nearly the entire length of the rear wall displaying the lines of air traffic outside, along with the endless rows of skyscrapers which covered the planet. A huge desk dominated the center of the room, with a number of plush chairs arranged in front of it.

Vader crossed to the throne-like chair behind the desk and sat down, silently gesturing for Thrawn to take one of the chairs on the other side.

"Darth Sidious mentioned you to me as a possible future asset, Mitth'raw'nurodo," the young Emperor said without preamble, leaning back in his chair. Thrawn was mildly surprised that Vader had been able to pronounce his full name correctly. "He said that the way you disposed of the Outbound Flight expedition showed that you had an exceptional grasp of strategy and tactics, and that we would need a man like you to help us solidify the Empire's power. When Captain Parck told me he'd contacted you, I decided to follow through on my Master's plans for you."

Vader turned his chair slightly to look at the viewport behind him, which Thrawn realized, upon closer examination, had to be a forcefield of some kind, for there was no sun glare upon it.

"Palpatine had extensive files," Vader continued. "He made them available to me, and since his death, I have been looking through them." He swiveled his chair back around to face Thrawn, and his face was even more serious when he looked back up at him. "Tell me more about these Far Outsiders of which you spoke when he talked to you."

Direct and to the point; these were admirable traits in a leader. Vader was clearly not one for wasting time with pointless pleasantries.

"They are an extremely aggressive, militaristic race," Thrawn replied. "Their technology is unique in that it appears to be entirely organic, with absolutely no mechanical or artificial elements. Their leadership must be very strong, and their training methods exceptional, for they are very unified in their attacks; it seems, at times, as though their forces were being directed by a single governing intelligence."

Vader's brows drew together in thoughtful concern. "Like a droid-control ship?"

Thrawn nodded. "The thought has occurred to me that they are achieving the same result through some form of telepathy."

"And they are from beyond the galaxy?" Vader asked, leaning forward slightly in his chair.

"It is our estimation that they are," Thrawn replied. "Our scouting missions have estimated that they have an enormous fleet, their ships numbering in the hundreds of thousands. They have managed to penetrate the hyperspace disturbance which surrounds this galaxy in several places, but only with small vessels; it is my supposition that they have not yet found a location from which to establish a staging area for the rest of their fleet, which is still many light-years outside the galaxy."

"How far?" asked Vader, turning to look out of the viewport again.

"Several decades at least, by their form of faster-than-light travel," said Thrawn. "My people's scouting expeditions estimate the bulk of their forces will not arrive for another thirty to forty Standard years."

"Troop numbers?" Vader had now turned his chair entirely around, and only the top of his head was visible above the back.

"If our information is correct, I would venture a low estimate at one-and-a-half trillion at this time," Thrawn replied. "They could conceivably have two or three times that by the time they arrive."

Vader made a strange noise then, one that took Thrawn a moment to identify as a deep sigh. His chair moved slightly, as if he had sat back heavily.

"Before the Clone Wars," Vader said, still leaving his chair facing the expansive viewport, "there hadn't been a full-scale war in this galaxy in a thousand years. A war with these Far Outsiders will make the second in a century."

"Well, Emperor Skywalker," Thrawn replied, "you will have several decades in which to prepare your civilization. If you spend the years until their arrival wisely, you may be able to present the Far Outsiders with a unified front and thus resist their invasion with a minimum of civilian casualties."

Vader's chair did not move, and he was silent for a long moment. "You had been sent to the planet on which Captain Parck found you as a punishment by your people, correct?"

"Yes," Thrawn replied, narrowing his eyes slightly in thought as he attempted to discern why Vader had changed the subject. "They sent me there because I destroyed the Outbound Flight expedition, which I had believed to be a threat at the time."

"Why?"

That single word was deceptively calm, but it was obvious to Thrawn that there was volatile emotion simmering underneath it.

"In my opinion, the expedition's commander, a Jedi Master named Jorus C'baoth, was a dangerously unstable individual," Thrawn replied. "When I contacted him in query to the intentions of his expedition, he threatened my fleet and then attacked me personally with the Force."

Vader's gloved right hand appeared from behind his chair, holding up a small datapad. Thrawn could see on the screen a transcript of one of Parck's numerous interviews with him over the course of their journey here. "From your description," Vader said, "it sounds as if Master C'baoth had immersed himself too deeply in the Dark Side and went insane."

"That was my conclusion," said Thrawn. "The expedition's course was taking them directly into the path of the Far Outsiders' invasion corridor; I had contacted C'baoth to warn him of this, but, as I said, he refused to listen and attacked me. If not for the intervention of Kinman Doriana, a human I had encountered and brought aboard my vessel, he might have succeeded. Faced with no other course of action, I destroyed the expedition. The Ruling Houses disapproved of my actions, and so exiled me to the planet on which Captain Parck encountered me."

"Why?" Vader said again.

"The Chiss do not approve of preemptive strikes," Thrawn replied. "My people do not attack unless we are attacked first. I saw your Outbound Flight as a threat, and so I saw my actions as justified. The Ruling Houses did not."

"You are aware the crew of Outbound Flight were mostly civilian colonists, are you not?" Vader said, a dangerous edge to his voice.

"As I said, from the way the expedition's leader presented himself, I saw Outbound Flight as a legitimate threat," Thrawn replied evenly. "He had at his disposal six heavily armed Dreadnaught heavy cruisers, and showed no compunctions about using them." He lifted his chin slightly. "Had I known the truth about the expedition from the beginning, I will admit that I would likely have used a different strategy, one which spared the majority of the crew. But, much of my information came from Doriana. I suspect his information was not completely accurate. While I was under attack by C'baoth, Doriana also launched a radiation bomb I had aboard my vessel, which I had not been intending to use against Outbound Flight, but instead against a Trade Federation fleet I had engaged previously. The radiation killed the crew, so I destroyed the vessels to prevent them from being found by the Far Outsiders."

"Lord Sidious had long known of the threat the Jedi presented to the stability of the galaxy," Vader said. "He was not, at the time, in the position to act, so it is likely he used his agent Doriana to take advantage of the opportunity you and your fleet provided."

"A viable strategic move," Thrawn replied neutrally. He had suspected as much. To be truthful, he was somewhat relieved that Sidious was dead and his apprentice had taken charge; despite his apparent change of name and character, Anakin Skywalker was, by reputation, a formidable warrior and an excellent potential ally.

Finally, Vader spun his chair back around to face his visitor. Thrawn saw that the young Emperor's face had hardened into a coldly calculating expression, almost totally devoid of emotion.

"I am still in the process of reorganizing the remains of the Republic into the Empire," Vader said. "Obviously, you are not here as a formal ambassador for your people, but from what I do know of you thus far, you could be a valuable asset to me in helping to stabilize the situation. Your people the Chiss are also dealing with a number of other threats in what we call the Unknown Regions, correct?"

"Correct," Thrawn replied. "We know little of your civilization, but I am fairly certain the Ruling Houses would not be interested in a formal alliance at this time. However, depending on how well you accomplish the task of unifying your region of space against the Far Outsiders, a further alliance between our peoples could perhaps someday be worked out."

Vader was silent for a moment, staring at Thrawn over his intertwined fingers, his elbows propped on the desk. "You held the rank of Commander in the forces of your own people?" he asked.

Thrawn thought Vader's seemingly disjointed questions could be seen as an attempt to put him off-balance as a test of his concentration, but there were other signs that Vader's thoughts were troubled.

"I did," Thrawn replied.

"Very well, Mitth'raw'nurodo," Vader said, pulling another datapad out of a drawer in his desk. He tapped at it for a moment, then slid it across the desk to Thrawn. "You now possess the equivalent rank in the Imperial Navy. We will keep in contact as you tell me more about these threats at the edges of my Empire, but over the next several years, you will earn your way upwards through the ranks. If you acquit yourself well in my forces, you will be promoted quickly."

He stood, and Thrawn stood, also. "I thank you, Lord Vader, for providing me with this opportunity," he said. "You may call me by my core name, Thrawn."

Vader inclined his head in acknowledgment. "I look forward to working with you more in the future, Commander Thrawn," he said. "Now, if you will excuse me, there are a number of other matters which require my attention."

The door quietly hissed open behind Thrawn, and he turned to see two of the red-robed guards walk inside to take up positions on either side of the office's entrance, followed by the aide Thrawn had seen before, who had a datapad and a stack of datacards under one arm.

As he left the Emperor's office, Thrawn puzzled over Vader's strange actions during their conversation. It was not until he learned several days later that Padmé Amidala Naberrie - a senior Senator for Naboo who had died during the chaos of the reorganization - was actually Vader's wife, that he understood the turbulent emotions lurking beneath Vader's mask of control. This would remain something Vader was sensitive about for years afterward, something he apparently never entirely got over.

* * *

_NOW_

Grand Admiral Thrawn found Darth Vader in the Sith Master's training room, sparring with one of his skeletal combat droids. The door sprang open seemingly by itself as Thrawn approached, - an occurrence to which he was very well accustomed by now - and the sound of clashing lightsabers greeted him.

Thrawn paused just in front of the door, which hissed closed behind him, and waited until the Emperor was ready to speak with him.

Vader wore a sleeveless black shirt, trousers, and boots, holding his red-bladed lightsaber in his mechanical right hand, which was wrapped as usual in black leather. Sweat gleamed on his muscular arms and soaked his hair and shirt as he moved in an offensive pattern nearly too fast to follow, thrusting at the combat droid opposite him, which looked like nothing so much as a humanoid skeleton made of metal, with various mechanical components in place of muscles. The combat droid wielded a blue-bladed lightsaber with superhuman speed and precision, but was apparently still no match for the Sith Master. As Thrawn watched, Vader jumped up, planted one foot on the wall about a meter above the ground, and hurled himself into a twisting flip over the combat droid's head, ending with a powerful slash of his scarlet-bladed weapon.

The droid crashed to the ground in two smoking halves, but Vader did not pause even to acknowledge his victory, for a pair of hatches opened in the ceiling and two more combat droids dropped out, their lightsabers igniting in a dual _snap-hiss_ as they shifted into offensive stances.

"Increase difficulty level to maximum," Vader said, either having not yet noticed Thrawn or ignoring him for now.

"_Request exceeds safety restrictions,_" the harsh computer voice warned. "_Override?_"

"Yes!" Vader snapped, shifting his weight impatiently. He tossed his lightsaber back and forth between his hands, the metal slapping against the flesh of his natural hand and the leather of the gauntlet which covered his mechanical prosthetic.

The photoreceptors on the two combat droids seemed to brighten as the computer obeyed the Emperor's order, and their stance shifted into an even more threatening posture. The light gleamed off of their metal skulls, making their bare-toothed grins even more sinister. Or at least, that was the intent; Thrawn was merely impatient, annoyed at being forced to play audience while Vader showed off his combat prowess.

"Engage observer protection shield," Thrawn told the training room's computer. With a quick shimmer, an energy shield flickered into being around him, extending back to the door. He had seen Vader duel his droids on this setting before, and knew there was a substantially high probability of his being accidentally injured or killed by any of the three combatants if he did not engage the shield.

Vader did not even glance back at Thrawn, though he had no doubt heard the order. His face remained expressionless, but his muscles tensed, and his eyes flicked back and forth between the droids. His fingers flexed around the black lightsaber hilt gripped in both hands as he shifted his feet slightly, tensing in preparation to attack.

One of the droids beat him to it; as its partner feinted left, the other droid surged forward ahead, swinging its blue-bladed lightsaber in a blisteringly fast offensive pattern. Vader neatly parried the first of its attacks, whipping his humming ruby blade through a corresponding defensive pattern that turned each and every strike aside without giving a centimeter of ground.

The other droid somersaulted in with superhuman speed, slashing with wide, sweeping attacks at the Sith Master's back. Vader began moving even faster, far beyond the limit of normal human capabilities as he not only parried the attacks of both droids, but went on the offensive, forcing one of the droids to edge backwards toward where Thrawn waited.

Vader passed his lightsaber from hand to hand as he whirled and pivoted, avoiding some strikes and smashing others aside, always sending his lightsaber through the exact pattern needed to keep the droids' blades away from his chest, which was their clear target. Thrawn observed that the droids were repeatedly trying for lethal ending blows, not pulling their strikes even slightly; both droids were genuinely trying to kill Lord Vader.

Vader finally showed that he was, in fact, aware Thrawn was there by taking advantage of the protective shield around the Grand Admiral; he lashed out with his right leg and kicked one droid back into the shield, and as it bounced off the forcefield, unbalanced, he decapitated it with a savage yell of exertion. Thrawn did not so much as flinch, continuing to watch calmly as the droid's neck shot sparks and it slumped to the ground.

The Sith Master whipped his lightsaber's blade behind his back as he briefly met Thrawn's eyes, blocking a diagonal slash by the other droid without looking. "I will be with you in a moment, Admiral," he said with deceptive calm.

With that, he whirled, smashed his blade four times in quick succession against the remaining combat droid's weapon, and leaped in a three-meter twisting somersault over its head, landing on both feet with one arm thrust out for balance.

The droid advanced with a low slash, but Vader tensed his legs and sprang almost two meters straight up, snapping his lightsaber downward with both hands as he descended. The droid splayed its legs in a manner impossible for all but the most flexible humans and caught the slash with its own blade, allowing itself to be forced downward.

With a whine of servomotors, the droid pushed itself back upright, forcing Vader backwards, and then surged forward in an offensive pattern, moving more than twice as fast as was possible for a non-enhanced human.

Vader merely met this charge with a challenging grin, pushing himself to move just as fast as he shifted into a defensive pattern. Only moments later, it was all over:

The droid moved its lightsaber up into a looping slash, intended to arc downwards past Vader's guard and into his neck, but the Sith Master was quicker, and seemed almost to blur as he plunged his lightsaber up to the hilt in the droid's chest, where the heart would be on a human. Without pausing, he yanked the lightsaber's blade upwards through the droid's shoulder, and then, once free of the droid's body, whipped the saber around to neatly slice away its head.

Sparks sprayed violently in all directions as the droid's power systems overloaded, and then, with a final screech of servomotors, it slumped to the deckplates with a heavy clank.

Breathing heavily, Vader held up his left hand and, with the Force, summoned a white towel from a bar on the other side of the room. As he mopped away the sweat covering his face, he turned to Thrawn. "My apologies, Admiral," he said as he deactivated his lightsaber. "I had thought I would be finished by the time you arrived." He shrugged, draping the towel around his neck as he ran his organic fingers back through his close-cropped hair. "I found myself in need of an additional cycle today."

"No apologies necessary, Lord Vader," Thrawn replied neutrally, giving no hint of his annoyance as he turned off the shield. "You have been under a great deal of stress lately."

Vader shrugged again, then held up one hand. A bottle of water leaped into it from a shelf across the room, and he drank deeply before answering. "It is time to contact Parck on Nirauan," he said. "He is due for a report."

A droplet of sweat had dripped down the patch-like lens covering Vader's mechanical eye, and he swiped it away with the towel before tossing it aside, headed for the door at the far end of the training room that connected into his quarters. Thrawn followed, waiting next to the wall full of lightsabers as Vader went into one of the other rooms of his suite.

When the Emperor emerged a moment later, he was wearing the jacket of his usual uniform, the right sleeve of which he was pulling down over his mechanical arm's leather covering. He gestured at the screen in the corner near his chair, which flared to life and automatically began connecting with the secret Imperial base on Nirauan.

The activities there were so secret that the commander was ordered not to contact the rest of the Empire for any reason other than dire emergency, so Thrawn and Vader had to contact him to receive status reports, to decrease the chance of their communications being intercepted by the rest of Imperial command - or worse, the Rebel Alliance.

Moments later, the thin, sharp features of Admiral Voss Parck, commander of the base, appeared, showing his head and the shoulders of his black-and-red Imperial uniform against the dark stone wall of his office.

"_Lord Vader, Grand Admiral,"_ Parck said politely, his posture stiffening slightly as he saw that both of them were present. "_What can I do for you?_"

"Report, Admiral," Thrawn said without preamble. "What more have you found since my last contact?"

On the other end, Parck tapped a few keys on his keyboard, sending the latest scout reports back along the encrypted transmission to Thrawn aboard the _Executor_. A smaller screen below the main flashed, indicating successful reception of the files. "_Sir, the most recent scouting expedition's findings indicate that the Far Outsiders' main fleet is still decades away, though we have encountered increasing numbers of warships on the fringes of space. It is Baron Fel's opinion that they may be attempting to set up an advance base inside the Rishi Maze."_

Thrawn nodded once. "Order Fel and his task force to investigate further," he said. "And the _Eclipse_?"

Parck glanced down and consulted his screen for confirmation. "_Construction is proceeding on schedule, sir," _he replied_. "The foreman estimates completion within a Standard year, and within three Standard years on _Eclipse II _and _III_. Construction of the _Executor_-class and _Imperial_-class Star Destroyers is also proceeding on schedule. I estimate completion of the First Vanguard Fleet within two Standard years, and the Second within five."_

Thrawn nodded in acknowledgment. "Excellent," he said. He glanced at Vader, who nodded fractionally but remained silent. "Is there further news on the treaty?"

Parck allowed a small smile through his rigid military posture. "_Yes, sir."_ He glanced over at Vader._ "I recently received a communiqué from Aristocra Chaf'orm'bintrano, in which he reports that the leading members of the Ruling Houses are now ready to meet with you to formalize an alliance. They insist on negotiating with you personally, my lord, but they have said that they will await your convenience."_

Vader nodded once. "I will order the _Executor_ to set course for Csilla immediately," he said. "I would like to formalize this alliance as soon as possible."

Parck inclined his head in acknowledgment. "_I will relay this to the Aristocra, my lord."_

"Is there anything else, Admiral?" Thrawn asked.

Parck shook his head. "_Not at this time, sir. A full summary of current operation status is in my report."_

"Very well," said the Grand Admiral. "Thrawn out."

As the screen deactivated, Vader turned to Thrawn. "Order the flagship to set course for your homeworld," he said. "The rest of the fleet is to stay here, under the command of Captain Pellaeon on the _Chimaera._ They are to continue searching for the Rebel fleet."

Thrawn nodded in acknowledgment, about to leave the Emperor's quarters, when the comm sounded. Vader activated it, and the bridge's comm officer announced, "_Lord Vader, we just received a communiqué with Level Six encryption."_

"Send it down here," Vader said, looking up at Thrawn.

Level Six encryption could mean only a report from one of the Emperor's Hands, and since only two were on active duty besides the traitor Jade, the message had to be vital; the Emperor's Hands handled only the most sensitive and important missions.

Vader's private computer would take several moments to decrypt the report, so Thrawn took advantage of the pause.

"Have you located any more information in the Temple archives about the… artifact?" he asked Vader.

The Sith Master shook his head. "The Jedi records are unclear as to whether it was destroyed or not; it was apparently never used again after the end of the war, but there is the possibility that it could still be out there somewhere. It would greatly aid in construction of the Vanguard Fleet, certainly, as well as… other uses." Vader glanced out of his viewport at the stars beyond. "Progress on the cloning studies?"

"The Vanguard Fleets will have full crews without need for further transfer of troops, Lord Vader," Thrawn replied. "The Spaarti method of cloning is much faster than the Kaminoan technique used in the Clone Wars, though there are still some minor problems that need to be dealt with."

Vader raised an eyebrow. "Such as?"

"Short life span and occasional insanity," Thrawn replied. "If we want to make more efficient use of our clone troopers, we need to find out why this happens. Once the problem is overcome, the Spaarti cylinders can be used to mass-produce thousands of clones quickly, possibly millions, if we are able to refine the process."

Vader clasped his hands behind his back and sighed. "We will need them, if we are to match the Far Outsiders."

Thrawn frowned slightly. "Lord Vader, perhaps it is time to make public the danger of-"

Vader held up a hand. "We have had this conversation already, Thrawn. The war with the Rebellion consumes too much attention as it is. Informing the public that the greatest threat this galaxy has ever seen is only fifteen or twenty years away will cause only panic and chaos. When we crush the Rebels and stabilize the galaxy again, _then_ we will make the threat public, for the final stage of preparations."

Thrawn kept his expression neutral and did not respond, but inwardly questioned the validity of this strategy; the news that there was a galactic threat out there might be enough to convince the Rebels to stop their destructive revolution and instead put their resources to work on helping to prepare for the inevitable war with the Far Outsiders. Fighting over what amounted to differing philosophies of government was pointless in the face of a threat to the very survival of civilization itself.

"_Decrypt complete_," the computer's screen flashed. Vader tapped a control and the information came up on the screen.

"Shira Brie," Vader said after a glance at the opening lines of coded ID numbers. "It says here that she's discovered there is a leak inside Imperial command, which the Rebels call Beta Source. The Rebels have decided to extract this Beta Source before Imperial Intelligence catches them, and so have been trying to determine who it is and a way to contact them."

Thrawn frowned thoughtfully. "I have suspected a double agent within our ranks for some time now," he said. "The Rebels have been able to escape some of our traps far more easily than they should have, and several assassination targets have vanished just before the execution of the mission, among other suspicious occurrences."

Vader scowled darkly. "More traitors," he growled. He turned to Thrawn. "Have Isard thoroughly investigate everyone on this list of possibilities for Beta Source."

Thrawn raised one brow in wry amusement as he read the names on the screen. "Director Isard _herself_ is on the list," he observed.

The Emperor let out an angry sigh. "Investigate her yourself, then," he snapped. "She's probably up to something anyway."

The Grand Admiral allowed himself another small, wry smile. "Very likely, my lord," he said. Anyone who had gotten her position by framing her own father for treason was certainly up to _something_.

Lord Vader unfastened his uniform jacket, gesturing to the door at the other end of the room. "I will be in my training room if you need me, Grand Admiral," he said. "I find that I have not yet purged enough aggression today."

Thrawn inclined his head in acknowledgment and then left, thinking silently to himself, _If such a thing is even possible._

As the Grand Admiral mulled over his conversation with the Sith Lord during the walk back to the bridge, he felt his plans for 'if' Vader lost himself to the Dark Side turn into a 'when.' There was little doubt in Thrawn's mind that one day Vader would lose control of himself completely. In response, Thrawn moved several other aspects of his plans up mentally. For now, the Emperor's sanity was on his side, and that sanity knew first-hand the true danger the Far Outsiders posed._  
_

* * *

_THEN (Ten years after the founding of the Empire)_

"We are honored to have you aboard the _Admonitor_, Lord Vader," said Commander Niriz, saluting crisply as the grim black-clad figure descended the ramp of his shuttle into the Star Destroyer's docking bay.

At his side, Captain Thrawn stood with his hands clasped behind his back, shoulders square beneath his olive-gray uniform, polished black boots planted exactly the width of his shoulders apart in perfect 'parade rest' military posture.

Darth Vader, wearing his usual black Imperial uniform with silver trim, a long black cloak hanging from his shoulders, stopped in front of the _Admonitor_'s captain and executive officer and passed his cold blue gaze over both of them. "You said you had captured a Far Outsider base," he said. "I wish to see it for myself."

With a gesture from one black-gloved hand, a dozen stormtroopers rushed out of the shuttle's passenger area and moved into honor-guard formation around the Emperor, Commander Niriz, and Thrawn. As they proceeded into the _Admonitor_'s corridors, Niriz reported on what they had found.

"It was during our mapping scans of the planet's surface that we found the base," he said, glancing over at the taller Vader as they walked. "We almost didn't detect it, because our sensors were looking for metallic structures. Captain Thrawn spotted something odd on the sensor readings, so we sent a detachment down to investigate, and that's when several of their ships attacked us."

"You said they're made of some kind of coral?" Vader asked, looking back at him.

The _Admonitor_'s first officer nodded. "Yes, my lord. They interface with the pilot through some sort of telepathic link, enabled by a hood that fits over the pilot's head." Niriz frowned briefly in revulsion. "We were only able to capture one, since all of the others started ramming our fighters after we destroyed their control ship. The fighter's cockpit was breached, and the pilot was killed, but the ship itself appears to be alive."

"Living ships…" Vader said softly to himself, his brows drawing together in thought. "You brought it up here?"

Thrawn gestured to one of the corridors off to the right. "Yes, my lord," he said. "We have been studying it while waiting for you to arrive."

Niriz led the way, and soon they emerged into the cargo hold in which the captured ship was being held. Vader walked right up to the asteroid-like craft, which was approximately ten meters long, roughly triangular, and irregularly shaped, like some sort of deformed sea creature. It looked like no other ship Thrawn had ever seen, save the destroyer-analogue he had captured during an EDF mission fifteen years ago.

"Did you take any prisoners?" Vader asked, reaching out to touch the stony hull of the small fighter with one gloved hand.

"No, my lord," Niriz replied. "Every one of their warriors fought to the death. We tried to take a few prisoners, but we finally had to kill them all to keep our own casualties down."

Vader's expression turned thoughtful as he pulled the glove off his natural hand, then reached up to touch the hull of the fighter again with his bare fingers. "It's warm," he said. "It's dying, but it is alive." He turned back to face them. "I cannot, however, sense it through the Force. It is as if it is simply not there, yet I can see it and touch it. Most disturbing."

"You once said all living things can be sensed through the Force," said Thrawn, taking a step toward the Emperor and the ship.

"They can," Vader replied. "That is what makes this so disturbing." He pulled his glove back on. "What is the condition of the base?"

"Destroyed, my lord," Niriz replied. "We finally had to pull our troops back and bombard the installation from orbit to stop them. Even then, they refused to give up. As I said, every one of the survivors fought to the death. One of their warriors was able to kill two entire squads by himself."

Vader nodded slowly. "I wish to see what remains," he said.

Thrawn gestured back to the docking bay. "We will accompany you, my lord."

[...]

The Far Outsider base was in one of the equatorial jungles of the unnamed planet which the _Admonitor_ was currently orbiting. The base had been discovered almost by accident while the Star Destroyer was mapping the planet as part of its survey mission, Thrawn's current assignment for the Empire. With the _Admonitor_, he was currently mapping out as much of the Unknown Regions as possible, in preparation for making a figurative defensive line against the Far Outsiders' coming invasion. It was the opinion of both Chiss military command and Thrawn himself that the invaders would try to establish foothold bases at the edges of the galaxy and from there sweep into the civilized sectors like a plague. He had convinced Lord Vader of this, and so he was now out here searching for viable locations for military bases and gathering points for fleet elements.

For the last ten years, as Thrawn steadily rose through the Imperial ranks, he and Vader had been planning and investigating, trying to make sure the Empire would be as prepared as possible for the invasion when it came. Thrawn knew Vader already considered him one of his most valuable officers, but, as was the Emperor's style, he refused to show any partiality; both of them knew Thrawn would one day hold the rank of Grand Admiral, the highest possible in the Imperial military, but he would have to earn it. So, for the last ten years, that was what he had been doing. After five years as a commander and five years as a captain, a promotion to vice admiral was probably not far off.

As the Emperor's shuttle soared down through the atmosphere, Vader looked across the compartment at Thrawn. "I understand you demonstrated exceptional tactics in destroying the enemy," he said.

"I took advantage of the opportunities presented," Thrawn replied, never one for boasting.

Commander Niriz smirked. "The captain destroyed their entire fleet of eight ships with just one Star Destroyer," he said. "The ship was taking heavy damage at first from their guns, which are some sort of magma projectors, until he deciphered their attack pattern and figured out which one was the control ship. A few precisely calculated runs from our fighters later, they were wide open, and he blew them apart with the _Admonitor_'s turbolasers. After that, it was just a matter of mopping up." The exec gestured back up in the direction of space. "They use some sort of singularity generators as both shields and propulsion systems. Until Captain Thrawn figured out how to confuse them, we were taking a serious beating."

"I have sent the technique on to both my people's forces and the rest of the Vanguard Fleet troops being trained," Thrawn said to Vader. "There were no survivors and no apparent communications, so it should be viable in any future encounters."

The Emperor nodded approvingly. "Good," he said. "We will need all the advantages we can get."

[...]

After the shuttle landed and they headed outside into the clearing in the jungle made by the _Admonitor_'s turbolasers several days earlier, Vader headed straight for the wreckage of the invaders' base, flanked on all sides by his stormtroopers.

They walked over the burned-black ground until Vader stopped at the edge of the burn area and prodded one of the bodies with his boot. "So, this is what they look like," he said. "What sort of armor is this?"

"Some kind of crab, my lord," Commander Niriz replied. "It's totally impervious to blaster fire; we had to kill them by shooting them in the gaps." He rolled the scarified, tattooed corpse over with his boot, gesturing to the burn mark in the warrior's armpit. "The armpit appears to be one of the few vulnerable areas, though our most accurate troopers managed a few head-shots." He pointed to the blaster-burn between the warrior's eyes.

"These scars," Vader said, crouching over the corpse to get a closer look. "Self-inflicted?"

"It appears so," Thrawn replied. "All of the bodies are like this, though no two of them have the same patterns. I would venture that it has some ritualistic function."

Vader extended a gloved hand and moved his finger over some of the swirling, looping patterns drawn on the crab-shell armor with a brownish-red substance. "What is this?" he asked, though his grim tone betrayed the fact that he already knew.

Niriz grimaced. "Human blood, my lord. This one killed a few of our troopers and smeared himself like this before he charged our position again." He pointed to the wound that had killed the alien. "I dropped this one myself."

Vader looked up at the commander. "You were down here during the battle?"

Niriz nodded. "Yes, sir. I had taken a landing party down to investigate the structures we detected from orbit. While I was down here, the enemy fleet showed up and Captain Thrawn fought them off with the _Admonitor_. We had to hold our ground down here until he could send reinforcements." He straightened. "I would like to recommend every man that fought down here for a medal, my lord," he said. "They deserve it."

As Vader stood up again, he looked around at the destruction. "Granted, Commander," he said. "I will accept your recommendation."

A guttural, growling voice suddenly screamed an unintelligible phrase from the trees; Thrawn was only able to clearly discern the word '_Vong_' and something that might have been '_prak_' or '_pratte_', followed by deep-throated bellowing.

Thrawn turned, trying to see where the voice was coming from, but in that instant, a Far Outsider ran roaring into the clearing, headed right for the three of them, swinging a long, whip-like weapon with one hand as he ran. He was just as scarred and tattooed as the corpses, nearly two meters tall and dressed in the same crab-shell armor as the rest of them. What little hair he had, coarse and black, was clumped with dried blood against his sloped head. His arms and torso were smeared with more blood, not all of it his own, and there was a crazed, fanatic gleam in his eyes.

The _snap-hiss_ of Darth Vader's lightsaber igniting drew Thrawn's attention to the Emperor, who had dropped into a defensive stance, his glowing red weapon held at an angle in front of him.

The screaming warrior immediately changed course to head straight for Vader, who merely grinned fiercely in response, as if hoping for a fight. The stormtroopers opened fire on the warrior, but their blaster bolts bounced ineffectively off of the armor covering his body.

From a bandolier across his chest, the warrior yanked several small, round objects, which he hurled at Vader. Most of them appeared like they were going to miss until they suddenly changed course in midair and veered for Vader, Thrawn, and Niriz.

"Captain, look out!" Niriz called. Even before he finished speaking, he tackled Thrawn to the ground. One of the objects the warrior had thrown whistled overhead, humming oddly. As Thrawn looked up at it, he saw that it had wings; it was some sort of insect. It circled back around, but one of the stormtroopers shot it, and it exploded, sending splatters of ichor in all directions.

Vader smashed the other insects out of the air with his lightsaber, though one made it through his guard and slashed open his sleeve. He grunted in pain, reflexively glancing down at the wound.

At that moment, the warrior's whip turned to a long staff in his hand, and from one end came a stream of liquid aimed at Lord Vader. Vader barely managed to dodge out of the way, glaring at the warrior as the alien continued to charge, ignoring the continuing shots of the stormtroopers. The liquid splashed with an acidic hiss across the charred ground, spraying out in a wide stream of droplets.

With a fierce shout, Vader sprang at the warrior, his lightsaber blazing. He whipped his glowing blade through a savage arc, clearly intent on decapitating the warrior.

But, to the surprise of everyone there, Thrawn included, the alien brought up his snake-like staff to block, and it actually managed to halt the lightsaber's blade. The taller alien warrior shifted his feet on the burnt ground and tried to force Vader back, but the Sith Master's muscles bulged beneath his sleeves as he held his ground.

Thrawn saw Vader's surprise register on his face as he tried to do something, probably attempt to assault the alien's mind through the Force, but there was no effect. The stormtroopers had halted their shots to avoid hitting the Emperor, so for now the Sith Master was on his own against the alien warrior.

Vader suddenly twisted aside, his long black cloak snapping with the speed of his movement, and threw out his hand toward the warrior as the alien stumbled a step in the wrong direction. Crackling purple-blue lightning leaped from Vader's fingers, searching out all the gaps in the warrior's armor, and the alien screamed in pain.

He whirled, slashing out with his staff again, and Vader blocked the attack with his lightsaber. He advanced, smashing his blade against the alien's again and again as he drove him backwards.

The alien warrior was grinning hideously now, as if he was enjoying the battle. Vader's face, in contrast, had hardened into an emotionless mask as he concentrated fully on the fight. He repeatedly slashed and stabbed, trying to find the holes in the alien's defense, but the warrior had superb reflexes and was able to counter almost every blow. His armor deflected the blows that did make it through. In turn, the alien attacked with powerful slashing blows of his razor-edged staff, most of which Lord Vader was able to block, but one made it through and became tangled in his cloak for a moment.

Vader made to swing his lightsaber at the alien's neck again, but the warrior ducked, and as he did so, wrenched his staff out of the cloak with a powerful sweep of his arm, leaving the black fabric in shreds.

In a surprising move, the alien's staff then suddenly went limp and wrapped itself around Vader's right arm. Thrawn saw fangs glint as they plunged into the Sith Master's forearm.

But Vader had a surprise of his own: his right arm was mechanical from the elbow down, and the venom of the creature had no effect. At the cost of having to drop his lightsaber, Vader clenched the staff-creature's slender body in his mechanical fingers and squeezed with all the strength they could provide.

The staff-creature thrashed in his grip, wrenching its other end out of its master's hands, and the tail formed into a blade that slashed at the hand holding it. Sparks shot from a damaged system in Vader's mechanical arm as the razor tail sliced into it, but it was too late; the creature was in its death throes.

The alien warrior howled in rage, hurling himself bodily at the Sith Master, but Vader's other hand grabbed the alien by the neck as the warrior bowled him over. Lightning poured into the alien from Vader's hand, the bolts crackling and sparking, and the gaps in the alien warrior's armor soon began to smoke.

With a final, deep-throated roar of rage and pain, the alien slumped, dead, over Vader, still twitching from the Force Lightning. The stormtroopers rushed over the pull the dead alien off of the Emperor, but he shoved it aside with his mechanical arm before they could arrive.

Standing over the warrior he had killed, his long cloak in tatters stirred into flutters by the faint breeze, and his mechanical arm shooting sparks, Vader glared down at the alien and sent another powerful burst of lightning into it. He summoned his lightsaber to his hand with the Force, and after igniting the blade, stabbed it into the warrior's neck to make sure it was dead.

He turned, breathing heavily, to Thrawn and Niriz, standing a few meters away. "He was…" Vader said between breaths, "a hole… in the Force… It was like… he was… not there… A void."

He clipped his lightsaber to his belt, looking up at the sky as he slowly caught his breath. "Burn it down," he said darkly, a moment later. "For five hundred kilometers in every direction, burn this planet's surface into _ash_!" He pointed at the body. "I want no more survivors here. See to it."

With that, Vader turned and marched back towards the shuttle.

Next to Thrawn, Commander Niriz shook his head in astonishment. "Even the Emperor had a hard time killing one of these things!" he exclaimed. "What _are_ these monsters?"

Thrawn only frowned thoughtfully to himself; the Far Outsiders' apparent immunity to the effects of the Force presented further problems, requiring additional levels of planning.

The latest reports said that the main fleet was still twenty-five to thirty years away, but with each new piece of information they learned, Thrawn expected that it would take that long just to find a way to fight them on equal terms.

A hard fight was coming. He just hoped the recent stirrings of rebellion did not graduate to armed conflict; if the current situation escalated into another full-scale war, the probability that the Far Outsiders would come upon a devastated, slowly recovering galaxy grew increasingly higher.

If the invasion happened under those circumstances, not even the best tactical planning would be able to stop the invaders.

* * *

-/\\-


	27. A Little Detective Work

-/\\-

* * *

**A Little Detective Work  
**

Boba Fett stood in a cavernous repair bay near the top of Cloud City, his blaster rifle slung at an angle across his armored chest as he watched the mechanics crawl over the hull of his starship, the _Slave I. _Their movements were a trifle stiff, and many kept sneaking glances at the silent armored warrior standing a few meters away from them. Fett knew he was making them nervous, but he did not particularly care; if knowing he was watching unsettled them and made them pay more attention to their work, so much the better. The concerns of other mortals, if he could not in some way profit from them, were of little importance to Boba Fett.

Two days ago, someone had shot down his ship while he was pursuing the _Millennium Falcon._ Over those two days, Fett had been investigating, trying to figure out who had foiled him. The turret blast had cost him a major contract from Jabba the Hutt; despite the fact that Lord Vader had paid him anyway, even though Solo and his companions had later gotten away, the Hutt bounty on Han Solo was still substantial. Boba Fett had trained himself not to feel most emotion, but this provoked genuine anger. He had a reputation as the galaxy's most effective freelance operative, and failing to deliver on contracts was not the way to maintain it.

The shot had come from a defense turret, Fett had discerned from examining the recordings of the _Slave I_'s external cameras. The list of suspects was short; Calrissian was out, since he had been flying the _Falcon_ at the time, as had Solo's Wookiee companion and Organa's aide Winter. Solo himself had been frozen, and obviously hadn't contributed much of anything to his rescue. Princess Leia had been on a balcony far from the turret, so it couldn't have been her, nor was it Luke Skywalker, as he had been fighting Lord Vader deep within the city at the time.

Fett had thought it to be the traitor Mara Jade, but a last-second clip from one of his cameras as he was crashing revealed that she had also been with the _Falcon_, bringing Organa inside after the princess had jumped from the balcony to the waiting smuggler's vessel.

Cloud City's own internal security cameras were useless; Calrissian or one of his companions had disabled them as they were escaping from the city. Fett had already examined the area around the turret he knew had shot at him, but the evidence he had collected was scanty; the turret had been used by several others as some of Cloud City's residents foolishly tried to repel the Imperial occupation of the city. He had found fibers from a number of different garments, as well as twelve hairs, retrieved as he meticulously went over the entire turret station with every scanner his sophisticated armor possessed, as well as some others he kept aboard his ship. The preliminary comparison had revealed that five different individuals had used the turret or at least been in the area before the stormtroopers had finally captured it.

A small light flashed inside Fett's Heads-Up-Display, informing him that the DNA analysis his ship's computer had been performing on the collected hairs was complete. Fett stirred from his statue-like motionlessness and started walking toward his ship. He startled a technician, who jumped as Fett passed him; apparently, he hadn't heard the hunter coming. Fett ignored him as he went inside _Slave I_.

He moved quickly through the stark, utilitarian interior of his vessel, crossing to the computer which had been performing the analysis. "Report," he ordered.

The computer whirred to life, speaking the information as it simultaneously projected it on its small screen. "_Analysis complete_," the computer intoned in its unnaturally calm mechanical voice.

"_Sample 1: Zeltron, female. Sample 2: Ugnaught, male. Sample 3: Human, male. Sample 4: Human, female. Sample 5: Talz, male."_

"Results of comparison with Cloud City medical database?" Fett inquired, stepping closer to the screen.

"_Three matches_," the computer replied. "_Human male, Ugnaught male, and Talz male. No matches for criminal records or bounties. No known association with Lando Calrissian, Han Solo, Luke Skywalker, Leia Organa-_"

Fett interrupted the computer. "Disregard medical database results."

Whoever had made that shot would, by Fett's own analysis of what had happened, have to both be an extraordinarily accurate shot _and_ know the structural weaknesses of _Firespray_-class patrol ships like _Slave I_. After glancing through the personnel files of the three matches, he concluded that none of them could have been the shooter; the Ugnaught was a technician, who had likely performed maintenance on the turret at some point within the last few days; the Talz was a waiter in one of the casinos, and the male human was a janitor, who might have just been cleaning up before the shooting started; there was no sign anyone had been around the turret since the stormtroopers had secured it. The probability of any of them having the required knowledge was extremely low.

That just left the human female and the Zeltron as the shooter that had disabled his ship. Fett punched up a closer examination of those two samples.

The Zeltron's hairs were a bright shade of red, typical for her species. They were long, nearly sixteen centimeters, and had recently been treated with some sort of exotic hair-care product containing oil made from bantha fat. Fett ordered the computer to analyze the traces of the hair-care product and extrapolate its brand and source while he looked at the human female's sample.

The human female's hairs were black and short, five centimeters long, treated with nothing more than ordinary shampoo. Fett ordered the computer to analyze the traces anyway. The detailed genetic analysis of the skin tag on the end of one of the human female's hairs revealed an 86% match with baseline Kuati DNA, along with 12% Alderaanian and 2% of something that could have been Coruscanti or perhaps Corellian.

Kuati; now _that_ was interesting. _Slave I_ had been originally manufactured at Kuat Drive Yards, and Fett had taken it back there a number of times over the course of his career for additional modifications. There was a high probability that the Kuati woman had either once worked at the Drive Yards like many of her people did, or knew someone who had, and thus would know the weak points of Firesprays.

"_Match_," the computer intoned. "_Substance on Zeltron sample 98% match with ingredients in 'Ossberry Delight Styling Gel', manufactured by Feross Salons, Incorporated, for exclusive distribution through Feross Salons. Feross Salons has three branches open in Cloud City._"

The computer displayed the locations, and since this was one of his few leads and he had nothing else to do while his ship was being repaired, Fett decided to follow up on them. He ordered the computer to perform the most thorough analysis of which it was capable on the Kuati hairs and any trace substances on them while he was out, knowing it would take several hours at least.

The analysis of the clothing fibers he had collected was not yet complete, but it shortly would be, so Fett ordered the ship's computer to send the information to his helmet's computer when it was complete.

He marched back out of his vessel and headed over to the nearest turbolift, which he set to bring him as close as possible to the closest Feross Salon.

[...]

Once the turbolift doors opened, Fett emerged next to one of Cloud City's many casinos, which was noisy and garishly lit with a number of lights in various shades of blue, extending well into the ultraviolet spectrum for customers whose senses could perceive that range. Fett ignored the casino, looking around for the salon. He spotted it, lit up with a brightly colored and flashing sign across the hall from the casino's entrance.

Fett marched across the wide, airy white hall and directly into the salon, where he was promptly assaulted by a wide variety of artificial fragrances designed to appeal to a wide variety of olfactory senses. Fett set his helmet's air filters and scrubbers to a higher setting to eliminate the scent, resolving to make his investigation here as brief as possible.

A chime sounded, triggered by a motion sensor that detected his approach, and a cheerful-looking human female with long light-colored hair turned with a smile to the salon's entrance. Upon seeing who had walked in, her smile quickly vanished, replaced by a puzzled, mostly frightened look.

"Can I, um, help you?" she said, nervously looking the armed and armored warrior up and down. He was probably carrying more weapons just on his person than she had ever seen in one place in her life.

Fett walked up to the counter and pointed at the computer next to the receptionist. "You will give me the sales records for 'Ossberry Delight Styling Gel' to female Zeltrons from this branch," he said, his voice flat and emotionless as usual. "This also includes uses of the product in treatments."

The receptionist overcame her nervousness long enough to give him a stunned look, her puzzlement almost amusing.

Almost. "Now," Fett said with just a slight hint of impatience, resting his hand on the blaster rifle slung at his side.

The woman's eyes widened, and she quickly turned to her computer to type in the information. As he looked around the rest of the salon, Fett found the stunned/surprised/terrified looks on some of the patrons and employees almost amusing, too. They'd probably never seen a Mandalorian before, especially not in their salon.

"Um, Mr.… What's your name?" came the voice of the receptionist.

"Fett," the hunter said, turning back around. "Boba Fett."

The already pale woman paled even further, swallowing nervously. "Uh, Mr. Fett, there's only one Zeltron who buys what you were looking for here. Her name's Rexa, and she works in the club on the lower level of the casino across the way."

"Would she be on duty right now?" Fett asked, already suspecting this would turn out to be a waste of his time. Still, ignoring a potential lead was never a good idea.

"Probably," the receptionist answered. "I don't really know her all that well."

"Thank you for your assistance," Fett said, digging into a pouch at his belt. The woman flinched, almost making Fett smirk in amusement again as he brought out his hand. He flipped her a five-credit chit, and she caught it out of reflex, looking back at him with a surprised expression.

With almost military precision, Fett spun on his heel and marched back out of the salon, all too glad to leave it behind. As he was leaving, the sensitive audio pickups in his helmet caught the receptionist speaking quietly but excitedly into a comlink.

"Hello, Sharyn? Yeah, it's me. You will _never_ believe who I just talked to!"

Beneath his helmet, Boba Fett finally did allow himself a smirk.

* * *

A bouncer with more muscle than brains attempted to keep Fett out of the club in the casino, but quickly realized his mistake when Fett stopped and stared him down, despite the nearly twenty centimeters' difference in their height. Looking back into an inscrutable black visor accompanied by an armory's worth of weapons tended to do that to most sentients. After a tense moment, the bouncer stepped aside.

Rexa was one of the club's bartenders, his helmet computer's remote slice of the club's central computer revealed. Her medical records did not appear in the central city database because the casino and the lower-level club were owned by an off-planet corporation, which had its own records. Fett set the helmet computer to slice deeper into the records to get more information while he talked to the Zeltron himself.

The interior of the club was dark, lit only with black-lights and strips of material responsive to that wavelength. Bright, softly glowing strips of green, orange and blue ran in angular patterns along the walls and in paths on the floor, directing patrons to the bar and the tables and booths in the back. The center of the club was cleared for use as a dance floor, which several sentients were making use of, flailing their assorted limbs, tentacles, and other appendages in time to the thumping, driving, bass-heavy music. Fett could feel the music more through the vibrations it was causing in the floor than he could hear it; he set his audio sensors to filter it out.

The Zeltron woman was at the bar, easily distinguishable by the way her bright red hair and pink skin glowed under the black-lights. Her teeth also glowed bright white, as evidenced when she grinned broadly at one of the patrons who paid for a drink and tipped generously. Her uniform was decorated with more of the neon-bright strips, which ran in patterns that accentuated her curves.

"Hey, a Mandalorian!" she said as Fett walked up to the bar. "We don't get… well, _any_ of you guys in here. What can I get you?"

"You are Rexa, correct?" Fett said, casually placing one hand on the top of the blaster rifle slung at his side.

Unperturbed, Rexa grinned even more broadly, tugging gently on a strand of bright red hair. "That's me." Her grin slowly faded. "You're not here to drink, and you're _definitely_ not here to dance." It was not a question, but an observation; Zeltrons had mild empathic abilities, which meant that they could sense the emotions of those around them.

"You fired one of the defense turrets during the Empire's occupation of the city," Fett said, placing one armored gauntlet on the bar. "When?"

Rexa cast a glance around the bar. "Um, I'd prefer if that didn't get around, yeah? The Imps probably didn't appreciate being shot at, y'know?"

Fett nodded slightly, gesturing with his other hand at one of the booths several meters away. Rexa turned and called to the other bartender that she was taking her break, then followed him to the booth. Fett activated the booth's noise-canceling field, which had the added benefit of muting the music, as well as making their conversation inaudible to anyone outside it.

"You're not checking me out for the Empire, are you?" Rexa asked nervously as she sat down.

Fett placed both hands on the table between them. "No," he replied. "The reward would not be worth my time. I am interested only in information."

Rexa twirled a strand of hair around her finger again. "So then, what do you want to know?"

"Someone shot down my ship," Fett said coldly. "I would like to know who."

Rexa's light pink skin flushed darker, a sign of nervousness. "W-Well, it wasn't me," she said quickly. "I was shooting at the dropships and TIE fighters."

Fett interlocked his gloved fingers, leaning back in the booth slightly. "Did you see the person who used the turret before you?"

She nodded. "Yeah, it was a human girl, maybe about my height, with short dark hair." Rexa let out a light, amused snort. "Funny thing was, she was dressed like a Sith. I was wondering about that, but I didn't stop to talk to her, 'cause she looked like she was in a hurry, and I didn't want to be on the wrong end of a lightsaber, if you get what I'm saying."

Sith? Now that was odd. Why would one of Lord Vader's students be shooting at him? That was cause for further investigation, and a valuable clue.

Fett withdrew another five-credit chit from his belt and slid it across the table to Rexa, who stared at him in puzzlement. "Thank you for your assistance," Fett said as he got up. He paused and turned to look back at her. "I would advise against resisting the Empire further," he added. "There is little you could do to drive them from this city, and if they did leave, they would just destroy you once their troops were withdrawn."

"Uh… okay," Rexa said, giving him another puzzled look.

Fett quickly left the club and its pounding music behind, headed back to his ship.

* * *

Just as he entered _Slave I_, the computer alerted Boba Fett that it had finished its analysis of the clothing fibers. Confirming Rexa's story, some of the fibers were indeed from the fabric generally used to make Sith robes.

Fett then set his computer to abandon the search for more information about the Zeltron and programmed it to slice into the records for all security cameras in the sections the Imperials had been in before Solo and his companions arrived and during their detainment. He set the search parameters to isolate any humans of Kuati facial features, then went up to the cockpit to sit in the pilot's chair and think.

Boba Fett had been in the freezing room with Lord Vader and Jade while the preparations to freeze Solo had been made, and during that time, he knew a young Sith woman had come in several times to report to the Emperor. Fett remembered she had dark hair, but hadn't been paying much attention to her at the time.

Why would a Sith want to shoot down his ship? Was the young woman a traitor, secretly trying to aid the Rebellion? Or perhaps, considering that Vader's apprentice Darth Nova had been aboard _Slave I_ at the time, had she been attempting to eliminate a rival? Considering what he knew of the Sith, the latter possibility was more likely, though her being a double agent was also highly probable.

"_Search complete,_" the computer intoned. "_Displaying results_."

Fett looked over at the screen, and confirmed his suspicion; the dark-haired Kuati woman who had been at the turret was indeed the same one who had reported to Vader before Solo was frozen.

"Cross-reference with Imperial personnel database," Fett ordered.

"_Searching_," the computer replied. "_Search complete. Displaying files._"

The young woman's name was Malysa Kolos, and according to her Imperial personnel file, she had been recruited three years ago after capture at Tatooine. At the time, she had been a Jedi under the tutelage of one Master Sunrider, who was listed as deceased, killed by Lord Vader during the battle. The file went on to say that after being personally reeducated by Lord Vader, Kolos had sworn herself to the Sith Order and the Emperor. Since then, she had mostly been stationed aboard the _Executor_, but had been sent on classified assignments multiple times.

Fett went back to the section on Kolos's known background. She was originally from the planet Kuat, the daughter of technicians who worked in the orbital shipyards. She had one brother, Tyraj, who also had an Imperial personnel file; he was listed as a stormtrooper serving in the 501st Legion. Tyraj Kolos, trooper number TK-421, also served aboard the _Executor_ along with all the other members of Vader's Fist.

Malysa Kolos had been captured at the same time as Leia Organa, shortly before the Battle of Yavin, when Vader seized control of Alderaan in response to finally proving the Organas were members of the Rebellion. In fact, Kolos had been captured aboard the _Tantive IV,_ since Organa had apparently been attempting to bring Kolos and her master to the Rebellion; they had evidently only stopped at Tatooine to pick up Obi-Wan Kenobi and Luke Skywalker, who had been hiding there before Han Solo brought them to Alderaan, where they rescued the Organas before Vader could execute them.

There was no official confirmation that Kenobi and Skywalker had been on Tatooine, but since Fett personally knew Solo had been there just before the _Millennium Falcon_ was seen on Alderaan, and it was highly unlikely he had stopped anywhere else first, there could not be any other place where the Corellian smuggler could have encountered the Jedi.

If Kolos had been a Jedi before her capture, it was certainly possible that she was a double agent trying to help the Rebellion now. When she shot down his ship, it had prevented him from capturing the _Millennium Falcon_, which had rescued Organa from the city along with the rest of Solo's companions. Could Kolos have aided Organa and the others because the Alderaanian princess once tried to help her?

Or was it the other possibility? Kolos could have been turned to the Dark Side by Darth Vader, and was now just as much of a Sith as the rest of the Dark Lord's students. If this was true, she would have shot down Fett's ship in an attempt to kill Darth Nova, Vader's Sith Apprentice and future leader of the Order. Perhaps, since Vader had trained her himself, Kolos thought he would choose her as his new apprentice since Jade had abandoned him.

There was really only one way to confirm which of the two possibilities was true, Fett knew; he would have to talk to Kolos himself. Her brother the stormtrooper could also perhaps be a source of information about her, since they served together aboard the Emperor's flagship.

_Slave I_'s comm buzzed, interrupting Fett's thoughts, and he moved his gloved hand over to answer. "Fett here," he said, looking at the small holoprojector mounted in the console.

Jabba the Hutt's majordomo Bib Fortuna appeared, smiling obsequiously, lightly tapping the claw-like nails of his hands together. "_His Excellency, Jabba the Hutt, desires to speak with you, Hunter Fett,_" he said, his head-tails - called _lekku_ by his people - twitching out an insult he probably thought Fett could not understand.

Fett nodded silently, indicating his acceptance of the message, and gave no indication that he knew what Fortuna's _lekku_ had signed at him. He would save that surprise for the next time he was at the palace. Few Twi'leks could say one thing and sign another with their head-tails, since it apparently required a great deal of concentration. If Fortuna had wanted to show his disdain for Fett, he could certainly have found an easier way, but that was just the way Jabba's majordomo was.

The bloated, grossly corpulent form of Jabba the Hutt appeared in the projector, glaring at Fett with his huge yellow eyes. "_Where is Solo_?" he bellowed in Huttese. _"I expected you to deliver him to me days ago!_"

"There were… complications," Fett said calmly. "Solo and his companions managed to escape the city, with help from an Imperial traitor." _Two, actually_, he added silently.

"_You are supposed to be the best bounty hunter in the galaxy_," Jabba grumbled. "_I'm paying you well enough for you to deal with any 'complications', no matter what they are."_

"I'll find Solo again," Fett said. "It will be difficult, but not impossible. You'll have your prize."

"_You had better do it quickly,_" Jabba said threateningly. "_Or it might be you I feed to my rancor._"

Boba Fett was not a man easily provoked to anger, but that was going too far. "It's not wise to threaten me," he said coldly.

It was biologically impossible for Hutts to pale with fear as humans did, but the slight widening of Jabba's eyes made it obvious he was feeling the same emotion behind that particular reaction. He knew all too well just what Boba Fett could do; just because Jabba had been the one who had paid Fett to perform some of his more infamous exploits did not mean the Hunter would have any compunctions about performing one of his spectacular acts of destruction on the Hutt if provoked.

In fact, Fett had once infiltrated Jabba's palace to prove to him that it was not secure enough; he could easily do so again with assassination on his mind. Even a being as wealthy and powerful as the gangster Jabba the Hutt was not safe from the most deadly warrior in the galaxy.

Still, Jabba could not allow himself to be seen as weak, Fett knew. The Hutt summoned anger again for his response. "_If you cannot capture Solo,_" he said, narrowing his eyes, "_I will hire someone who can._"

Fett shrugged. "If there was someone else out there who could catch him, they would have done it already. You're welcome to look, but if you want results, you know how to contact me."

With that, he cut the transmission. Most sentients would do anything to avoid angering a Hutt, especially Jabba, but both Boba Fett and the gangster knew there was nothing Jabba could throw at him that had a chance. Jabba couldn't very well send Boba Fett after himself, now could he?

To pass the time until the mechanics finished repairing his ship, Fett logged into the HoloNet and searched for recently posted bounties worthy of his time and skills.

* * *

Six months later, after several jobs both big and small, Boba Fett made an interesting discovery.

It was a standard practice of his to have his scanners constantly searching for other bounty hunters' ships, in case someone else was onto something interesting he might not know about; more than once, tracking other hunters' movements had yielded substantial rewards for Fett.

Thus, when _Slave I_ alerted him that it had detected the _Venesectrix_, a ship registered to one Ree Duptom - a lowlife who had the dubious distinction of being the only sentient ever kicked out of the Bounty Hunter's Guild for behavior even _they_ considered unscrupulous - and in a sector very far from his usual area of activity, Fett decided to investigate.

Duptom had to stick to the fringe to find work ever since he had been ejected from the Guild; only the most successful hunters like Boba Fett could remain independent of the Guild and still manage to find well-paying contracts. Therefore, if the _Venesectrix _was this far coreward, it had to be for a good reason, and thus was worthy of Fett's attention.

Fett sent his starship in on an intercept course, hailing Duptom's ship. He received no response, and when he moved closer, he saw why; the _Venesectrix_ was dead in space, drifting aimlessly without control. By the looks of it, Duptom's vessel hadn't been in the best condition to start with, but something had gone wrong with it, and recently.

Duptom was probably dead, but still, there could be something valuable aboard, whether in information or other hard merchandise. Duptom had to be out here for a reason, and that might very well be a profitable one. Fett sent the _Slave I_ in to link up with the airlock and force it open after confirming breathable atmosphere.

Boba Fett loaded up his weapons and waited by the hatch, watching as his vessel established a link with the _Venesectrix_. He set the remote slicer to get into Duptom's files and download them to his own databanks while he looked around.

The inside of the _Venesectrix_ was filthy, with food wrappers and other refuse scattered around uncaringly, as if Duptom just tossed his garbage away when he was done with it and never bothered to clean up. That certainly matched his reputation as scum. Fett curled his lip in disgust inside his helmet, considering turning around and leaving right then.

But then he heard a faint noise, a scraping sound, audible mainly because the rest of the ship was deathly silent. Fett brought up his rifle and moved further inside. As he looked inside the cockpit, he saw a body slumped on the floor, dead for at least three days by the state of decomposition.

The body was face-up; Fett recognized the corpse as the _Venesectrix_'s owner. Duptom had been exposed to radiation, by the looks of it, though Fett's sensors told him that the only radiation leak powerful enough to be lethal was in the engine compartment, contained there by the emergency bulkheads. Apparently, Duptom had killed himself through his own stupidity by improperly maintaining his engines. He'd received his lethal dose of radiation when attempting to fix them, then staggered up here to die.

Fett left the body behind and continued his investigation. His remote slicer was only about one-fifth done taking Duptom's files, so he had time. He followed the sound of the scraping to the cargo hold, where he found something surprising; there was indeed a survivor aboard the _Venesectrix_, a young human female with dark hair, severely malnourished and dehydrated. Her breathing was weak and ragged; she'd obviously been down here since Duptom died, and he hadn't been keeping her in very good condition to begin with.

Fett moved to the cargo cage and wrenched open the door, setting his rifle aside to drag the young woman out of the cage. Her violet eyes fluttered open as he did so, and she looked up at him before drifting back into unconsciousness.

She was obviously some of Duptom's hard merchandise, but after scanning her face with his helmet sensors and comparing it to the HoloNet database, Fett found no registered bounty posted for the young woman. So what was Duptom doing with her?

Even scum like Duptom didn't go around kidnapping people for no reason; there had to be somebody who had paid him to take this young woman somewhere, and since she had been locked in a cage, it was a certainty the trip hadn't been her idea.

Fett went back inside his ship to get his medkit, then returned to the _Venesectrix_'s cargo hold. He prepared an intravenous nutrient drip with his supplies and quickly, efficiently located a vein and inserted the sterilized needle. As he waited for the young woman to stabilize so that he could move her, Fett examined her further.

Despite her current condition, she had obviously once been in far better shape; her skin, hair and teeth were in excellent condition - or had been before she had been locked in a cage for at least four days - and her hands were manicured, indicating she was wealthy. Before the incompetent Duptom had accidentally starved and dehydrated her by getting himself killed, she had been in good health, further reinforcing the probability of affluence. She was wearing a nondescript jumpsuit, but it was ill-fitting, more than likely belonging to Duptom himself.

On either side of her head, on her temples, were small wounds that had scabbed over, small punctures that had traces of what looked like electrical burns surrounding them.

Suspicious, Fett looked around the cargo hold, and quickly located what he thought had made the wounds: a metallic, spidery-looking device with a number of prongs and small needles. Fett gave the device a contemptuous kick, inwardly confirming his suspicions.

Duptom had performed a memory wipe on his prisoner, and from her unconscious condition, not entirely a result of her malnutrition, he had obviously had no great concern for her well-being when he had done so. So, that raised the question of why. Who was this young woman, where had she come from, and what did she know that someone didn't want her to know?

And, most important, how could Boba Fett turn this to a profit for himself?

* * *

As the young woman he had found recovered in _Slave I_'s medical bay, Fett analyzed Duptom's files. After making sure there was nothing else that could be of use to him aboard, Fett had left the _Venesectrix_ behind to float on in the cold of space by itself, a coffin for its unfortunately idiotic owner. Upon further analysis, there was a possibility that Duptom's engine malfunction had been caused by sabotage, but by that point Fett was no longer even slightly concerned about Duptom or how he had died. All that mattered from the encounter was now aboard his own vessel.

While the young woman was out, being fed a steady stream of replenishing nutrients in _Slave I_'s medical bay, Fett ran a number of other tests on her, searching for her identity with his computers. He found nothing about her through the various databases he consulted, but his medical computer's analysis of her blood sample confirmed that she was Kuati. Her genetic sequence marked her as a member of one of the noble houses, though to find out which one he would have to go to Kuat and slice into the computers there; such information was not available off-world, even to his sophisticated slicing programs.

Now the question was, who would kidnap a daughter of a Kuati noble house, and use a lowlife like Duptom to do it? Obviously, whoever it was did not want to kill her, but from the crude memory wipe Duptom had given her, they didn't much care for her state of mind. They just needed her out of the way somewhere, not knowing who she was or whatever it was she knew that had caused Duptom's employer to have this done to her.

There was nothing in Duptom's files that gave a clue as to who had hired him for this job, other than that he had been on Tatooine shortly before he came out here. Duptom did not keep an organized log, and even his flight data recorder was half-scrambled by poor maintenance.

The young woman's brain, Fett's scans revealed, had only been affected in the area that processed and retrieved personal memories; she would be able to speak, to walk, recall general facts, et cetera, but anything to do with her personally was scrambled, possibly damaged beyond retrieval by Duptom's crude wipe. Effective, but sloppy; Duptom could just as easily have killed her or left her insensate through his shoddy work. More promising, this meant that there was a possibility that the memory wipe was not permanent, and could be overcome.

Interrupting his thoughts, the long-range comm buzzed, and Fett reached across the cockpit console to answer it. "Fett here."

A clipped, Coruscanti-accented answered him. "_Hunter Fett, I have a message from Lord Vader. He has an assignment for you, if you are interested. Coordinates for the _Executor_'s current location will be sent if you accept."_

"Send them," Fett replied.

The _Executor_, the coordinates indicated, was far from the center of the Empire, off near the Unknown Regions. What Vader was doing out there, Fett didn't know, nor did he particularly care, as long as the Emperor made the trip worth his time.

After setting the navicomputer for the hyperspace jump, Fett went down to the medical bay. On the way, he thought about this latest series of events; on the _Executor_, he would have the opportunity to investigate the young woman who had shot at his ship, as well as perhaps find out more about this Kuati woman, seemingly unconnected to the other - though discounting a connection entirely would be unwise.

He stopped in the doorway of the small medical bay, barely more than an alcove in the wall with a diagnostic bed and life-support equipment, and looked down at the unconscious young woman. Again, Fett wondered who she was and why Duptom had her, but the other bounty hunter was dead, his files nearly useless, so he would have to find out through other means.

* * *

When he rendezvoused with the _Executor_, Boba Fett was quickly shown from the docking bay - where he left _Slave I_ with instructions to alert him if his passenger's condition changed - to a briefing room on the deck above. Fett had been aboard Vader's flagship often enough that he did not require a guide to show him the way, and so he ignored the stormtrooper escort on the way through the cold, harshly lit halls, his boots clicking on the dull gray plates of the deck.

Everything Imperial was in some shade of black, gray or white; Fett himself in his green-and-gray armor was an incongruous splash of color, and though he saw that many crewmen stared at him as he passed, he ignored them.

Darth Vader and Grand Admiral Thrawn were waiting for him, alone; even the red-robed Royal Guard were standing outside.

Thrawn was, as usual, wearing his white Grand Admiral's uniform, his blue-black hair precisely arranged in perfect military regulation. Vader, also as usual, stood out in contrast to his highest-ranking officer, wearing all black. He had begun growing a beard since the last time Fett had seen him, the hunter noted.

Vader looked less and less like Anakin Skywalker all the time; with his mechanical eye and grim bearing, it was increasingly easy to forget that he had once been a brash, confident young man, the Hero With No Fear of Clone Wars fame.

"We have an assignment for you, Hunter Fett," Thrawn said, looking across the briefing table at him.

"Jabba the Hutt had hired you to bring him Han Solo," Vader said as he crossed his arms over his chest, his cloak falling forward over his shoulders. "Due to a number of factors during the events at Bespin, you were unable to do so. Therefore, Jabba has likely contacted you to show his anger, has he not?"

Fett nodded once. "He has."

"Imperial Intelligence has discovered a plot to assassinate Jabba," Thrawn said. "While it is true that such plots are common in the Hutt's palace, this particular conspiracy shows signs of being far more organized than the usual attempts." He clasped his hands behind his back. "Under the guise of offering to protect the Hutt against such an occurrence, you will go to Jabba's palace and see to it that this plot succeeds."

"You want me to kill Jabba?" Fett asked.

"No," Vader replied. "I want you to make sure the other conspirators succeed. While I have no doubt that you could easily accomplish such a task, the blame needs to be placed on those who are already planning the assassination." Vader's comlink buzzed just then, and he glanced down at the small device for a moment. "Please excuse me," he said, tucking the comlink back into his pocket. He gestured to the Grand Admiral. "Thrawn will explain the rest, if you need more information."

With that, he left, his long black cloak sweeping out behind him as he strode out of the room. Fett glanced after him, then returned his attention to the Grand Admiral.

"Why does Vader want Jabba dead?" Fett asked. "If he dies, his criminal empire is going to dissolve into a mob war as his lieutenants and the other Hutts fight over his holdings."

"That is the idea," Thrawn replied. "Lord Vader has decided that a fight over Jabba's holdings will destabilize the Hutts enough for him to crack down more tightly on the illicit slave trade. He has grown tired of the Hutts and their allies ignoring his edict banning slavery within the Empire's borders. They continue to smuggle slaves through Imperial space, and so Lord Vader has decided to put a stop to it."

Boba Fett knew exactly why Darth Vader despised slavery so much, but he did not mention it. Instead he said, "In return for this, I'd like some information through your intelligence network." He tilted his head forward slightly. "In addition to my payment."

Thrawn's blue-black brows lifted slightly. "An unusual request."

"I recently found a young Kuati woman, - a noble, I think - and I want to know why she was where I found her," Fett said. "Imperial Intelligence is the fastest way to find out. I was going to take her to Jabba's palace and see if anyone there recognized her, but since that place is shortly going to become a war zone with your plans, it wouldn't be safe there. She's not worth anything dead."

Thrawn's expression remained neutral, though there was a thoughtful glimmer in his glowing red eyes. "Kuati, you say," the Grand Admiral said, pausing for a moment. "Very well, Fett; give me what information you have on this passenger of yours, and I will see what I can find out."

"How long?" Fett asked.

"Half a day at least," Thrawn replied. "Can you stay on the _Executor_ that long?"

Fett slowly nodded once, thinking of his other task here. "I'll find some way to occupy myself."

* * *

Finding Kolos, it turned out, was easier than Fett had expected; she passed him in the hall on his way back to _Slave I_.

"Malysa Kolos," Fett said, stopping in front of her with his hand on the blaster rifle at his side. "I wish to speak with you."

The dark-haired young woman stopped, and there was a brief flicker of nervousness in her eyes, though her expression quickly shifted into a haughty mask, as if being stopped was an annoyance.

"You're that bounty hunter Lord Vader hires sometimes," she said, crossing her arms over her chest. "What do you want, hunter? I'm busy."

Fett stared at her silently for a moment, closely observing her face and body language. The arrogant demeanor, he suspected, was just an act to cover her fear.

"You shot down my ship over Cloud City six months ago," Fett said. "I want to know why." He shifted his rifle. "Depending on your answer, I may or may not tell Lord Vader about the traitor in his ranks."

Kolos attempted to maintain her irritated expression as one hand absently plucked at the black fabric of her outer robe, though more than a little fear made its way through. "Follow me," she said finally.

Fett watched her closely as she led him to a side room a short distance down the corridor, in case this was some kind of trap. He'd killed Jedi before, and would not hesitate to do so even now, if this was a trick. This young woman was barely into her twenties; he'd killed Jedi Masters three times her age and skill.

Kolos stopped before a control station for a turbolaser emplacement and went inside. Fett joined her, but left his hand on the grip of the blaster rifle at his side, his finger only a millimeter from the trigger.

Inside, Kolos turned to him and crossed her arms again. "All right, yes," she said. "I admit it; I shot down your ship at Bespin. But," she added quickly, holding up one hand, "I didn't do it to help Solo and his friends."

"Why, then?" Fett said, shifting his blaster rifle again, so that the muzzle was pointed at the Sith's heart.

Kolos paused for just a moment, glancing down at the muzzle of Fett's blaster rifle. He did not move it.

"Darth Nova was on _Slave I_," she said finally. "I was trying to kill him."

"You've had plenty of opportunities since your capture at Tatooine," Fett said, noting that, although her face remained largely passive, there was a slight tightening around her eyes; she was a good actress, but not good enough to keep Fett from noting her surprise that he knew that about her.

"Your ship was chasing the Rebels," she said. "If I made it look like they shot you down, that took care of my problem. Lord Vader doesn't approve of assassination as a means of moving up in the ranks, but that's how the old Sith, the _true_ Sith, did things." She lifted her chin. "Lord Vader has said before how impressed he is with my skills; if I kill Nova, he's certain to choose me as his new apprentice." Kolos shrugged lightly, affecting a mockingly apologetic smirk. "It was nothing personal against you, Fett," she said, spreading her hands. "You just happened to be in the way."

Fett stared at her for a moment, carefully watching her reactions. Only a Sith would be arrogant enough to be so dismissive to him.

He leaned in closer to her, bringing up the muzzle of his blaster rifle to rest against her collarbone, pressing lightly against the hollow of her throat. "The next time you decide to arrange an 'accident' for one of your superiors," he said dangerously, "make sure it doesn't involve costing me a bounty and wrecking my ship."

Kolos's eyes widened in apprehension; not even a Sith could stop a blaster bolt at this range, and she knew it. She raised her hands, keeping them well away from the lightsaber at her side.

"In return for not killing you right here and now," Fett went on, "you are going to do something for me."

"C-Certainly," Kolos said, edging backwards a half-step.

Fett extended his arm, keeping the muzzle of his rifle in place. "I have a woman aboard my ship," he said. "You are going to personally see to it that she recovers here aboard the _Executor_, where you will keep her, without alerting anyone else aboard, until I come for her."

"How am I going to do that?" Kolos asked, her hands dropping slightly.

Fett pressed his blaster harder into her neck, and her hands snapped back up to where they had been. "That's your problem," he said. "I need a place to keep her for a while, and there's nowhere more secure in this galaxy than aboard Darth Vader's flagship. The _Executor_ is nineteen kilometers long; you'll be able to find some place out of the way to hide one woman."

"How are we going to get her off your ship without anyone noticing?" Kolos asked.

Fett took a step back, lowering his rifle, though he still left the muzzle pointed in her direction. "I'm going to be here for most of the day," he said. "We'll work something out." He finally lowered his rifle altogether. "Find a reason to be in the docking bay in two hours," he said.

With that, he turned and left the young Sith behind.

* * *

"Her name," said Grand Admiral Thrawn, three hours later, "is Kateel of Kuhlvult."

Boba Fett looked down at the holo displayed by the projector between himself and the Grand Admiral in Thrawn's private command room, a small office not far from the bridge. The pictured woman was definitely the same one he and Kolos had just smuggled into the depths of the _Executor_, but wearing the typical clothes of Kuati nobility, her hair elaborately arranged around her head.

"That was fast," he said.

"I have an agent planted within House Kuhlvult," Thrawn replied, leaning forward slightly in his chair. "Kateel has not been seen for almost a Standard month, and while the excuse in the household is that she is visiting one of the family's southern villas, my agent suspected differently."

Fett was curious as to why Thrawn had an agent placed in one of the Kuati noble houses, but he knew better than to ask. However, that fit another crucial piece into the puzzle; if there was an excuse within the family as to why Kateel was missing, that meant whoever had kidnapped her was a member of the household, probably a high-ranking one.

"Any ideas as to who kidnapped her?" Fett asked.

Thrawn shook his head. "My agent did not know. However, until I learn the truth, Kateel will be quite safe here. You and young Kolos did not need to go to all the trouble of smuggling her to the lower decks."

Only his great self-control kept Fett from flinching in surprise. "You knew?" he said evenly, betraying no emotion.

Thrawn's lips quirked in a slight smile as he gestured to the walls of his command room, hung with various artworks. "Even though this starship is the size of a small city, I would not be an effective commander if I did not know everything that went on inside its hull. The young woman will remain in my custody until she recovers, during which time I will learn who kidnapped her and why, though I already have my suspicions."

"You Imperials are starting to develop a bad habit of taking things from me," Fett said, shifting the blaster rifle at his side.

Thrawn shrugged minutely, tapping his fingers together a few times as he propped his elbows on the arms of his chair. "As compensation, I have another contract for you, one for me personally."

"I'm listening," Fett replied.

"I want you to investigate a planet called Myrkr," Thrawn said, "specifically, some of the local fauna, details of which I will provide upon your acceptance. In addition to this and giving me any information you have on young Kateel's kidnapping, I will pay you fifty thousand credits."

Fett had to think about this for only a moment. "Done," he said. "When Jabba's dead, I'll head for Myrkr."

"It has been a pleasure doing business with you, Hunter Fett," said Thrawn.

Fett turned and left the command room with only a slight nod as reply.

* * *

Malysa Kolos slumped down into a chair in her quarters on the _Executor_, exhausted. Twice today, _twice_, she thought she had been found out and was about to die.

The first time had been bad enough, when she had had to make up a convincing story in front of Boba Fett, but when Grand Admiral Thrawn had personally surprised her while transporting Boba Fett's mysterious passenger, Malysa had thought during the entire conversation that she was only moments away from being killed.

She was still positive Thrawn hadn't bought her story about wanting to get rid of Darth Nova, but for whatever reason, he had let her go, telling her that the young woman was her responsibility while she was aboard the _Executor,_ and that Malysa was now in his debt for keeping her 'disloyalties' quiet.

Truthfully, Malysa hadn't even known Darth Nova was on board the _Slave I_ when she had shot it down; she'd only learned this when Nova had raged about it to Lord Vader later, complaining that he should have killed Fett for losing Solo and the others. She was actually rather proud of herself for thinking of that one, especially since it appeared Fett had believed her.

Over the last three and a half years, Malysa had gotten better and better at lying, being able to make up convincing stories very quickly so as to cover for her actions while gathering information to leak to the Rebellion. It was either that or get caught by the Sith and die slowly and painfully.

"_It won't be too much longer_," said the voice of her teacher, her one ally and confidant in this place. "_What you are doing is greatly aiding those on the side of right, and the time has almost come when you will be ready to leave this place and join them._"

Malysa didn't bother looking up; she wouldn't be able to see him, anyway, since he wasn't really here. "I hope so, Master," she said. "I don't think I can take much more of this."

She felt a sort of warm reassurance, as if the Jedi Master had placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. "_You are strong, Malysa,_" he said. "_And it is only a little while longer. Just hold on till then._"

Though the Jedi Master was not really there - as he had explained it, he was now on a higher plane of existence - she felt the impression in her mind of a bearded face smiling warmly, and then his presence was gone.

Trying to stop her hands from shaking, Malysa Kolos leaned back in her chair and looked out at the stars.

* * *

-/\\-


	28. Power Behind the Throne

-/\\-

* * *

**Power Behind the Throne**

by Silverwolf05

Against the hazy sunrise, the dark shapes of thousands of starscraper spires lurching above the fog-swollen underbelly of Coruscant appeared like the wave of a patient's palpitating heartbeat under the knife of a surgeon. Hundreds of traffic lanes, moving between the erratic spikes, were already clogged despite the early hours, funneling criminals, workers, soldiers, smugglers, and high-ranking senators to their respective locations. And in the center, disrupting the angular, spiking lines of the prosperous city, sat the bulbous mass of the Senate Rotunda.

"That building is a cancer," Ysanne Isard stated as she stared out at the domed structure. She wished, as she did every morning when her shuttle carried her to the Imperial Intelligence Headquarters, that Vader would destroy the Senate Rotunda, as well as the pungent ideologies of the withered old politicians inside. Her knowledge of how resistant individuals could be to change was the only reason she had accepted Emperor Palpatine's decision to keep the practice in place when he had transformed the Galactic Republic into the Galactic Empire. But over twenty years had passed since that act. Twenty years of laws, ignorance, and treaties that had left the Senate practically powerless in light of the Emperor's authority. And yet, despite the fact that few would question his motives for doing so, Vader proved too cowardly to abolish the final principles of the Republic and transform their government into a true Empire.

She scowled. A true emperor, like her Palpatine, had to be cunning, ruthless, and absolutely devoted to the control of power. He should be ruling his people with an iron fist, not fuddling his way across the galaxy in a halfhearted attempt to subdue a band of renegades.

Perhaps if he hadn't destroyed the weapons at the secret Maw Installation, this war would be over by now, Ysanne fumed. Through her numerous connections as Director of Imperial Intelligence, she had secretly retrieved some of the information on Vader's destruction of Palpatine and Tarkin's hidden base. Most of the weapon schematics had been lost, but she held the fragments of a few, including the Ionic Ring, the Sun Crusher, and the Death Star. She fingered the datapad on her lap, where she had pulled up the image of the moon-sized space station capable of destroying an entire planet.

If only her Emperor Palpatine hadn't perished on Mustafar! What great things he would have accomplished! Her frustration at her true Emperor's death had led Ysanne to spend every free moment for the past twenty years searching for his killer, the Jedi Obi-Wan Kenobi. Upon hearing of his death at the hands of Darth Vader, she had only felt a morsel of satisfaction. Jedi powers be damned – she had wanted to torture the man herself.

Isard shifted her focus to her own reflection, staring back at her from the curve of the shuttle window with mismatched eyes, one ice-blue and the other a fiery red through some fluke of genetics. 'Iceheart', some called her, for her infamous coldly furious temper. But sometimes, her ire flared red-hot, capricious and unpredictable as flame. The two different colors of her eyes reflected the extremes in her personality, it was said, an assessment Ysanne herself agreed with. Beyond that, she secretly enjoyed the unsettling effect her mismatched eyes had on others, putting them off-balance from the first moment they met her. Most sentients inadvertently blurted out things they ordinarily would not have when confronted with her intimidating glare, a most useful trait for an Intelligence operative.

The shuttle curved on its path to the right, hiding the Senate Rotunda behind scores of starscrapers. To be honest, Ysanne felt somewhat relieved not to be able see the obtrusive mass anymore, but scowled for good measure and turned back to her datapads, scrolling through the cases she was monitoring.

In fifteen minutes, the shuttle touched down at the Imperial Intelligence Headquarters. The looming black building glistened like obsidian in the early light, with sharp lines shooting up the sides like the ribs on the primordial ancestor of man. It was sometimes remarked upon as one of the most noticeable buildings on Coruscant, both for its size and design, with its ribbed walls that revealed few windows, and the sparse landing pads for ships, painted dark to blend in with the rest of the structure. A few of the braver pundits had compared Intelligence Headquarters to a massive loaded weapon aimed at all passersby. Ysanne had found the comments amusing rather than offensive, for that actually was the desired effect.

When Ysanne stepped off the shuttle, she was met with six aides standing at perfect attention in two lines. Six crisp uniforms, immaculate stances, and perfect silence. Ysanne didn't nod to acknowledge them when she passed between the two rows; they didn't expect her to, and simply fell in line behind her as she strode towards the imposing form of the Imperial Intelligence Headquarters.

As soon as she entered the gray-slab doors, two aides handed her several datapads and gave a quick synopsis of the main issues they were investigating. One involved a smuggling ring that they had pinpointed to the Sargesso asteroids. Another involved a small group demanding to speak to the Emperor on account of a political injustice, though Ysanne knew it was a front for an assassination attempt.

A third aide handed Ysanne the latest reports regarding their investigation of the potential Beta Source candidates. So far, no one had been proven to be the elusive double-agent, but no one had been counted out either. Ysanne scrolled through the information gathered since the previous night and scowled. It was a pitiful amount, though she was glad the agents had not inflated the reports with repetitive information to make themselves look like they had done more work. She knew from her own research that there was little to be found.

She stopped on a catwalk three stories above the central investigation room, a large, circular area filled with screens, computer stations, and holo-tables. The insignia of the Imperial Intelligence Division was engraved on the floor in the center of the room, with the machines purposefully placed near the edges. It was inconvenient at times, and there had been comments about the waste of space, but it was important, Ysanne felt, to have their symbol constantly present.

Most of it, she knew, was for her own benefit. She had poured more hours and blood into that symbol and the power it represented than even she knew. It had started before she had become the Director of Imperial Intelligence, before she had framed her father and had him killed, back even before she had been a pre-teen meeting with high-ranking officers who had sloppily given her top-secret information because they underestimated her.

No, Ysanne determined. This was part of her, as much as her father was a part of her; it was a bloodline of sorts that had claimed her at birth to rule. Despite the misgivings of some of the other high-ranking members of the Imperial hierarchy, she had prevailed and become one of the most important members of the Empire. Arguably, only a handful of sentients in the entire galaxy could lay claim to more power or influence than Ysanne Isard.

She felt the datapads between her fingers. Those lives were in her hands. When she decided, they would either be destroyed or spared. All she had to do was speak.

The agents, moving from station to station or delivering information to others, paced over the angular shape of the insignia. As their black boot-heels brushed the glossy material, the details vanished, and, for a moment, they seemed to become an extension of the institution they served. Ysanne smiled, and leaned against the railing for a second to watch the motions of the busy hive while the aides continued to update her on known issues.

One aide mentioned the Beta Source again, and Ysanne drew herself further back to the conversation in hopes that they had learned something new. But, as she had suspected, the information was inconclusive; the Admiral in question had merely made a purchase from a merchant suspected of selling also to the Rebels.

"That data is useless," Ysanne said, casting an annoyed glance at the young man. He was a Kiffar, with unremarkable features, dark hair and three red clan markings below his right eye. _He's new,_ Ysanne remembered when she recalled his face, and sensed he was trying to make a good impression. But being new did not entitle him to stupidity.

"Every man, woman, and child in the vicinity uses that old merchant," Ysanne continued. "Even Lord Vader has been known to purchase from him, though indirectly." She lifted an eyebrow and smiled leeringly. "And are you saying that Lord Vader is a traitor?"

The aide immediately flushed with embarrassment. "No, Madam Director," he stammered. "Certainly not!"

"What, didn't think of that?" Ysanne shoved the datapad back into the man's hands and turned to look over the central room. "Interrupt me only if you find something _useful_."

The man's heels clicked together and he offered a tight salute before scurrying away to accomplish his task. Ysanne smiled, pleased with the knowledge that the man would work twice as hard now as he had ever worked before. Those who wished to keep their jobs and their lives did not disappoint Ysanne Isard more than once, if even that.

Still, her smile faded when she thought about the Beta Source dilemma. The presence of certain factors in the individuals' backgrounds, such as smuggling, familial ties to the Rebellion, and so on, categorized each of the names as potentials. But so far, all roads had led to dead ends so generalized that she may as well accuse half the galaxy of treason. She scowled. Was the Beta Source even one of the names on the list?

Another aide approached her and held out a datapad to the Director. Ysanne's eyebrows rose when she read the message. "Well, isn't this interesting? I'll take this in my office," she said. The aides nodded, and scurried away to their stations.

Ysanne's office was a smaller room than most of the officers of her rank, and made smaller by the large amounts of information and weapons Ysanne stored in the bookcases. Some things were legal; most were not. But no one dared question her about them. Over one wall hung a flag with the insignia of the Imperial Intelligence Division. It was the first flag ever made for the division, one that Palpatine had given to her himself during his far-too-brief reign as Emperor.

The screen on her desk clicked harshly, letting her know that the files had finished transferring to her machine. A level five encryption, it said, and Ysanne set her computer about to translating the message. It had come from one of her spies, specifically one stationed on the _Executor_.

Ysanne's spies were well organized and experts in subterfuge, especially those working behind the backs of Thrawn and Vader. She felt little remorse for resorting to trickery to retrieve sensitive information from the Emperor and his pet. After all, they felt little need to inform her about critical facts.

Such as Mara Jade. The only reason Ysanne knew about the former 'Emperor's Hand' was because of her spies, and her information regarding this strange position was unacceptably small. This was especially true considering Ysanne was in charge of monitoring the flow of information, _and_ considering that this Mara Jade was supposedly privy to the most sensitive information in the galaxy. How was she supposed to work against a force she knew nothing about? Yet she knew that, in order to hide their blunder in letting this woman defect, Vader and Thrawn would place the blame on Imperial Intelligence Division for any information that Mara Jade revealed.

Thankfully, she had found out quickly – already, Ysanne's agents had caught more than a dozen attempts by outside forces to infiltrate their systems. Though the information about the perpetrators was inconclusive, none of the attempts had succeeded, which to Ysanne was a form of success.

Ysanne's fingers drummed a tuneless melody on the wood tabletop. She had put finding Mara Jade near the top of her priorities, though she made sure that word of it didn't reach Vader or Thrawn, since the two still believed that Ysanne knew nothing about her or any of the other Hands.

The progress bar finished, and Ysanne opened the decrypted folder. Inside was a single document, and from the size, couldn't be more than a few lines. The fact surprised Ysanne. She had expected a more substantial message, even if it was just information about the Beta Source that she already possessed. Besides the Beta Source, she had informed her spies to investigate more about Mara Jade, as well as figure out what Vader and Thrawn were up to in their free time that was consuming an alarming amount of the military budget.

The file opened.

Ysanne read it, and then read it again. The document was the list of people Vader and Thrawn suspected of being the Beta Source. Ysanne had all of the names memorized, but the spy had added one final name to the list; the name, and nothing else, as if the spy understood that the addition was so virulent that any other information would be completely forgotten.

_Director Ysanne Isard_.

* * *

When Isard burst from her office ten minutes later, the agents, aides, and security personnel nearby took an involuntary motion away from the Director. Her hair was a mess, her jacket half-undone, and she had fragments of plastic multicolored chips resting in her hair. She was panting heavily, and those that were close enough to see into the woman's office saw that every item had been overturned or destroyed.

They quickly offered her a stiff salute; to their relief, the Director briskly stomped past them and towards the central room, fragments of wreckage flying from her hair to land like plastic rain in her wake. As she went, she buttoned up her jacket and straightened her hair, regaining most appearances of sanity by the time she reached the main floor of the Central Room.

"Give me an update," she said to a group of distracted aides crowing around a computer screen.

"We have evidence for, I mean we've-" one of the technicians started to say, but lost his train of thought when he saw the fury still burning in the Director's mismatched eyes.

"We have detected secret communications between Senators Viru Samposith and Baodoo Vorbe's concerning a coup against the Emperor," the red-marked Kiffar agent said. He pointed to the screen. "Our spies have confirmed audio and written messages between the two."

Ysanne nodded. "Bomb Samposith and Vorbe's' estates. I don't want any survivors."

"Madam Director?" the Kiffar man asked, surprised. "But won't that kill their families? Wouldn't it be best to arr-"

Ysanne's balled fist leaped out like a striking serpent, backhanding the Kiffar with such force that his feet left the ground as he flew backwards. His head slammed into the hard black floor with an audible _crack_ as he landed, seeming even louder through the shocked silence of those standing around them.

Blood slowly leaked from the unconscious Kiffar's nose, dripping to land in scarlet puddles on the glossy black floor. For a long moment, no one moved.

Ysanne took a slow step over to the Kiffar, prodded his leg with her boot, and with another blur of unexpected motion, leaned down and smashed her fist into his face again.

"Are there any other objections to my orders?" Isard inquired with deadly calm as she straightened, blood dripping from her knuckles.

With alacrity born from fear, the rest of the technicians hurried to their tasks.

"I'm ordering the strike now!" a technician blurted as he shoved an officer away from his computer, typed in a series of commands, and pointed to the screen, which showed the redirection of four cruisers to the planets of the two senators. "They'll arrive in two hours and bomb their estates as ordered."

Ysanne's lips stretched into a smile as she stepped over to the computer. The technician scooted out of the way, allowing Ysanne the opportunity to check the machine to ensure that what he said was accurate.

"Very good, Ensign," Ysanne said, placing her bloodied hand on the boy's shoulder. He flinched, which caused her to smirk. She motioned with her head to the Kiffar boy bleeding on the obsidian insignia and said, "I only punish those who disobey me, Ensign. But you were very good to do what I asked. What's your name?"

"Oren Tantell, sir," the pale-haired man said, quickly regaining his courage. "From Ghorman."

"You did well, Oren," Ysanne said and turned to address the rest of the quiet inhabitants of the room. "Learn from him, all of you." She clapped Oren on the shoulder. "His behavior is what I expect from every member of Imperial Intelligence."

The wide-eyed agents nodded weakly and murmured compliments. A few managed to clap.

"If there's one thing we cannot let ourselves do, it is be unfaithful to the Empire," Ysanne said to Oren. "It is what separates us from the scum who plague this galaxy."

The ensign nodded stiffly. "I understand, Madam Director."

"I know you do, Oren. Otherwise you wouldn't have done what you did."

Ysanne glanced over at the sprawled body a few meters away. He had been left alone, as the remaining agents had kept to their quiet positions out of the way. The Director clicked her tongue. "Good agents are hard to find, Oren." She motioned to the unconscious Kiffar with a dismissive wave of her hand. "That man held the rank of Lieutenant. It's your position now."

Oren's face paled. "Thank you, Madam Director," he said, then suddenly remembered to stand and give her a salute.

Ysanne saluted back and placed her hand one more time on his shoulder. "You won't betray me too, will you, Oren?"

"No, Madam Director," Oren shook his head, and quickly added, "Long live the Empire."

"Good."

Ysanne cast a disdainful glance back at the prone form of the Kiffar. "Remove that," she snapped, then turned and headed up the stairs to her office.

Just before entering the doorway, she glanced out from the catwalk. The shell-shock had worn off of the agents by now. A handful of men tended to the Kiffar who had disobeyed, using a hastily fetched stretcher to take him down to the infirmary. The rest resumed their positions at their stations. She made a silent note of the agents that remained diligent about their work, and the slight few that stumbled about in a state of delirium.

If there was one thing she was not about to tolerate, it was weakness, and those displaying it would be expunged from the agency.

But for the most part, the agents performed as they needed to. The one that had rebelled had been weak, too focused on moral standards to understand the severity of their work. The rest, those that continued in their work without delay, understood that weakness and disobedience could not be tolerated.

_Or were they obeying me?_ Ysanne thought. They weren't obeying the Empire, or even Vader. They were obeying _her_, her rules, her governance, even when the legalities demanded less stringent repercussions for wrongs. They obeyed her even when everyone else said not to, because they knew she wasn't weak.

She entered her office, making her way gingerly over the fallen furniture, twisted metal, and broken glass to her chair and sat down to think. Her computer was completely demolished, but the message from her agent continued to pour fire into her ears.

What had she ever done to make Vader think she would betray him? Despite her opinion that the 'Invisible Emperor' was being a poor leader, she had stood by Vader's side, and taken more abuse from him and his lackeys than she had tolerated from anyone else. What evidence did he have to even think she was aiding the Rebels besides a list from a supposedly trustworthy source?

By now she was convinced that the list of Beta Source candidates was a fabrication. Whatever person Vader had trusted to deliver the information was captured or dead. If Vader couldn't see that, he was weak.

And weakness needed to be expunged at all costs.

Ysanne smiled as she glanced over at the flag hanging on the wall, the only item in the office that had remained untouched in her rampage. If Vader was too weak to do the things necessary, then she would remove him and take over herself. It was just what her Palpatine would have done, what he _had_ done with the bloated, corrupted old Republic.

There was no reason she couldn't take over, Ysanne realized. She had an extensive spy network, one capable of piercing even Thrawn's supposedly impenetrable shroud of secrecy. The majority of the military officers respected - or at least feared - her more than Vader, or could be bribed onto her side. The rest could be easily taken care of, and replaced with others.

Ysanne's mind raced as she began to pace around the room. She could count on at least four Grand Admirals to side with her. She could also count on two Moffs, and she knew that a third Moff held a personal distaste for Vader that could be used for her advantage. More than a third of the military officers would side with her immediately, and the Senate-

The Senate.

She froze in her tracks. She had forgotten about the Senate and their rules. As much as it pained her, she knew she needed them if she was going to succeed in her plan.

But she also knew that, if she went to the Senate Rotunda and demanded allegiance, they would have no qualms about turning her over to Vader or shooting her right then and there. And even if she did take the time to speak to each representative and convince them to her cause, it would be a waste of time, especially considering her lack of patience with the science of politics. She would need help with them.

Ysanne scowled. She hated where her mind was going.

But if she was going to get anywhere with her plan, she would need to ask _him_ for his help.

* * *

The office of Sate Pestage, Grand Vizier of the Empire, was lushly furnished, extravagantly displaying his vast wealth. It held a menagerie of unusual artifacts gathered from across the Empire, such as statues, paintings, vases, and ornate furniture to hold the Vizier's books, papers, and treaties. Some of the items, Ysanne knew, were gifts from the more prestigious of Sate's contacts; others were acquired illegally by blood or bribe; they all suited Pestage's flair for the unusual. Despite their differences, all the pieces somehow fit together, as if the sheer unbalanced nature of the items was enough to weigh out any unpleasant aspects of the arrangement.

The chairs furnishing the room were likewise luxurious. Sate's table and chair faced away from the window, giving the visitors to the Grand Vizier's office the constant view of the Senate Rotunda through the glass-window wall. A single chair had been brought out for Ysanne's arrival, though Ysanne knew that more of the chairs could be added if the number of visitors increased.

The chair was overly comfortable, conforming to her body to she settled her weight into it. The fabric itself was soft to the touch; as she waited, sorting out the mixed bag of emotions and technicalities of the plan in her mind, she found herself rubbing her fingertips over the armrest.

The doors swished open behind her; she moved her hands to her lap, but stayed seated, staring firmly at Sate's empty chair while the Grand Vizier and his entourage strode boisterously into the room.

"I hope I haven't kept you waiting too long," Sate, dressed in an elegant outfit befitting his title, said as he entered, grinning with geniality comparable of arsenic. He was more than twenty minutes late, but Ysanne smiled back as pleasantly as custom demanded. She'd allow him his little act of defiance. The upper hand would return to her in no time.

"What can I do for you, Miss Director of Imperial Intelligence?" Sate asked as he settled himself into his overstuffed chair. The head of the ornately carved throne loomed more than three feet over his head, giving Ysanne the amusing impression of an infant child lost in his father's chair.

Still, Ysanne presumed that the dozens of protrusions and knobs riddling the side of Sate's throne were merely facades over a plethora of weapons. Conflict could not always be resolved with fancy words or false promises; sometimes, as it was for Ysanne, hands had to be bloodied for results to be seen.

"You sound unhappy to see me," she replied.

Sate's face was darkened in the shadow of the chair, but his dark brown irises against the pale skin pierced her like the recesses of space. "I had to cancel my meetings with several perturbed politicians to arrange this 'emergency' meeting with you, Miss Director. I hope it is worth it."

"You'd miss out on an opportunity to talk to me?" Ysanne said with a fierce ironic grin.

"I'd imagine a Rancor holding a more pleasant conversation than you, Miss Director." Sate motioned to an aide; the girl, a fair-skinned beauty in her late teens, scurried over and handed the Grand Vizier several forms.

Ysanne raised an eyebrow.

"If you are going to interrupt my busy schedule, the least you can do is allow me to handle several simple items," Sate insisted. He glanced between the two pieces of paper, then scribbled a malformed line across the bottom and handed it to a second aide before taking another form from the girl. "I assure you, it will not disturb my attention to you in the least."

"Let's hope so," Ysanne said, more irritably than she would have liked.

Sate's hands paused, only for a fraction of a second, an indistinguishable motion for most people. But Ysanne knew how to pick up on the nuances of human behavior. He had been offset by her remark, she realized. But he left her no time to evaluate further.

"Why have you demanded my attention, Miss Director? I can only hope that I am not going to be interrogated for any of your investigations."

"As if you could produce enough of a disturbance to interest me," Ysanne replied.

"For which I should be eternally grateful. Or perhaps, disappointed? After all, I hear those who feel the touch of your interrogators feel pleasure in nothing else. Those who feel your hand most of all."

Ysanne smiled and picked at the dark, dried blood caked under her fingernails.

Sate glanced over another form and scrawled his name illegibly at the bottom before exchanging it for another. "But surely, you've come for a purpose other than to have us shoot spears at one another. For that, we could adjourn to the Grand Convocation Chamber. There you'd have the company of hundreds rather than a single old man."

Ysanne smirked. "Yes of course. But such a conversation would be best kept between your ears and mine."

"Hm, is this missing a page?" Sate motioned to his aide for her to check. The girl zipped eagerly to the Vizier's side, and glanced between the pages on his desk and in her hand, and then pulled a page that had gotten lost in the bottom of the stack. "Oh, you are a dear," Sate smiled and stroked her pale, flawless cheek with his finger. She blushed and smiled, then stepped back to the other aides.

"Grand Vizier Pestage," Ysanne snapped.

"Hm? Oh yes, I apologize," Sate said and snapped his gaze back to Ysanne. "What were we talking about?"

Ysanne's hands clenched into fists, and she scowled darkly at the Vizier. "I'd like to speak to you alone," she said bluntly and motioned with her head to the aides. "Tell them to leave."

"Don't you trust my advisors?"

Ysanne clenched her teeth. "Of course," she replied stiffly. "But loyal men are hard to find nowadays, and those who hear things unwittingly often find themselves vanishing in the middle of the night."

Sate shrugged. "Men are a decicred a dozen. One just has to know the right pressure points to make them into loyal men."

"Perhaps," Ysanne replied. "But even you must realize that time is not so easy to come by; even your aides must learn how to hand you a paper to your _satisfaction_."

Sate smirked and gave a faint wave to the white-faced aides shrinking away from the conversation. They nodded in relief and hurriedly left.

"I presume that my staff is considerably safer now," Sate said as soon as the doors had sealed the two alone. "Perhaps now we can resolve the little differences we seem to be having."

Ysanne smiled and, after quietly folding her hands in her lap, said plainly, "I am going to kill Darth Vader."

Ysanne knew she had nothing to fear in telling Sate this. He had more blood on his hands than hers, and he knew she knew this. They had held this stalemate since each of them had risen to power; it had developed, in its own way, into a kind of twisted alliance, in that Sate was one of the few Ysanne could count on not to betray her.

Still, she was somewhat unsettled by his mask, which remained unshaken by her statement.

Sate chuckled lightly and leaned back into his throne. "Your bluntness is a welcome change around here," he said. "As piercing as a dagger to the heart."

Ysanne scowled and waited for Sate to continue.

He stared at her a moment. "My my, aren't we ambitious? Kill Vader?" The Vizier's lips pulled back into a wide smile, stretching the weathered skin so far she thought it would tear.

"And yet not surprised?"

"My dear," Sate leaned his chin onto his hand, "you had your own father murdered. And it's common knowledge that you hold Lord Vader with less respect than him. To be honest, I'm surprised that you haven't attempted it earlier."

Ysanne held her head up proudly. "Disobeying my master was not my desire."

"Though you'd dare dethrone his successor now."

"Vader has grown weak," Ysanne snapped. "He lets the Rebels roam free, he never deals with those who betray him, he adheres to a weak order, and he is obsessed with recovering that bastard child of his. He doesn't deserve the honor of being Palpatine's heir, not anymore. Surely, in having to deal with the 'Invisible Emperor,' you've thought as such."

Sate leaned back in his chair. Hidden in the shadow of the sunlight, the man's face quickly lost most of its distinguishable details.

"And I take it you believe you have what it takes to rule this Empire," the shadowy form asked. "As Supreme Empress, I presume?"

Ysanne grinned. "Sate, do you doubt my ability to rule?"

"Your ability to cow the idiot masses into subservient obedience is unmatched in any quadrant of the galaxy. I only doubt your ability to deal with the more respectable rabble in the Senate."

"The Senate-"

"Is a necessity, even for an Empress," Sate interrupted.

"Palpatine would never have let the Senate last as long as it has."

"But Palpatine is not here, and Vader has made the mistake of leaving the Senate in place, and so we will have to move that much more carefully when we take over."

Ysanne raised an eyebrow, but she revealed her canines when she spoke next. "'We', my dear Sate?"

"I assume you have some place for me in this new world of yours, if only because you deemed fit to warn me of your future plans. And I believe my position would be exceedingly higher than this current one, if only because of my necessary talents."

"I could assign you to cleaning the refuse from the ground levels of Coruscant and no one would care."

Sate Pestage grinned. "But _you_ would." Before Ysanne could object, Sate lifted a slender hand to her. "A lifetime in politics has made me a master of reading others, dear Director. You've maintained your fierce countenance, but the fact of the matter is that you _are_ still sitting here, despite all I've done to aggravate you." When Ysanne scowled, Sate's own smile widened. "Which indicates to me that you are willing to suffer almost anything to win my support."

The chair flew out from behind Ysanne as she bolted to her feet. "I don't need you," she snarled. "An uncultured, scaly Gamorrean scum who rolls in his own-"

"Careful how you use that tongue of yours," Sate interjected. "One day you might find yourself choking on it."

Ysanne slammed her fists down on Sate's table and leaned over the wide wooden top until she was nearly nose-to-nose with the Grand Vizier. "My tongue is the least of your worries, Vizier," she said through gritted teeth. "Instead you might want to consider the barrel of a silencer while you sleep in your bed."

To her infinite annoyance, Sate's countenance remained utterly placid, and for a long minute, the two of them locked stares, raging in a silent, delicate war of wills.

"If you are going to be Empress, you'll have to learn to manage your temper," Sate said finally. His words came out barely as a whisper, but in the dark silence sweltering the office, it resounded like a choir of drums. "Even Palpatine learned to show restraint."

Ysanne nodded slowly.

"I expect to maintain my position as Grand Vizier. Of course, I'll let the public face of power be yours," Sate said. "As delightful as it would be to clash heads with one equally as black-hearted as me, I fear such a struggle would leave us both with nothing but an empire of ash-covered worlds to rule."

Sate motioned to the overturned chair. After a second's hesitation, Ysanne backed away and resumed her seat. While she did so, the Grand Vizier tapped a long finger against the wooden tabletop. "I believe Ars Dangor would side with us," he said after a moment of deliberation. "He will require more surveillance than most, but he will still prove a valuable ally. Sly Moore perhaps, but she is so entrenched with monitoring Vader's young Sith that she might be too distracted to be of any use."

"I never liked that Umbaran," Ysanne remarked. "It'll be good to finally get rid of that old hag. As far as the military goes, I've estimated the rough number of Grand Admirals and Moffs that would side with me. It is more than a fair percentage."

"As is the general consensus in the Senate." The Grand Vizier's dark eyes focused on the table and his fingers tapped the table. "Few of the politicians hold any love for Vader. Most of the rest will simply balk if we apply the right pressure. Something I'm sure you could assist with, my dear."

Ysanne smirked. "I doubt you need my help in getting your hands dirty, Sate. But I would certainly appreciate the opportunity to show an Emperor's true strength."

Sate grinned. "Of course. Now if you excuse me," he motioned for the door, "I must request that I be allowed to adjourn our meeting until another time. I have a meeting with several senators regarding their questionable loyalty to Vader."

Ysanne chuckled. "Vader may be Emperor, but the Empire is not his to command. Not anymore." She stood and straightened her jacket. "I will inform you when I need you next. Until then, it would be best to know exactly how many of the senators and planets could be swayed. I will monitor the military."

"Very well," Sate said. "Wait!" he called just before Ysanne made it to the door. "If we are going to be allies, I would like to know one thing."

Ysanne cocked an inquiring eyebrow.

"Knowing you as I do, I have no doubt that you would have attempted to overthrow the Emperor eventually. But I get the feeling that your current motion towards anarchy was not spurred on by your lust for power, but rather, by a personal wrong. So my question is this: what was it exactly that Vader did that could affront the ice-hearted Director of Imperial Intelligence into mutiny?"

Ysanne scowled. "He suspects me of being a spy for the Rebellion."

Sate's countenance finally cracked, and he stared at her for a minute in disbelief at what he had just heard. Then he threw back his bald head and laughed, louder than she had ever heard him laugh before, a chilling sound that haunted her down the hall, past the legions of dull-faced aides and politicians, and into the cockpit of her shuttle.

* * *

Three full weeks passed before the small group of a dozen men and women of various races met in the seclusion of a meeting room deep within the bowels of the Imperial Intelligence Headquarters. The room was untapped and unmonitored, and the members had all arrived without any trace, having made up viable pretenses for their simultaneous absences.

It was a plain room of white walls, empty except for a long metal table covered with datapads, papers, holograms, and photographs.

"How many of the Grand Admirals have we confirmed?" Ysanne asked.

"Five of the twelve so far. We're not counting Thrawn, of course," Yekkr Em'Orth, a Zabrak Grand Admiral said, and circled several names on a list. "At least four more are likely candidates."

"At least Echir Blanche as well," Natasia Vorlcan added. She brushed some graying hair behind her ear, then flicked a minute spot of dust from the shoulder of her white uniform. "Vader nearly killed him after Blanche was defeated by the Rebels a few months back. He's been trying to find a way to get revenge ever since."

"He's a wild card, but he'll serve his purpose," said Ysanne. "Afterward, we'll see how loyal he is."

The two Moffs present nodded in agreement. "Most of us are with you. And we've started stockpiling additional weapons, as well as more advanced weaponry that we've been developing."

"I'd advise against it," Tu'Hroshk, a Cerean Grand Admiral advised. "Should Vader find these stockpiles, he will ultimately discover us, and force us to move our plan into action before it is ready."

"We'll need the extra firepower," Gier Kus, one of the Moffs, objected.

Ars Daganor shook his head. "Our plan relies on manpower and timing, not firepower."

"Agreed," Ysanne said. "We cannot run the risk of Vader discovering stockpiles. Not yet, at least. And if we have the manpower, we have the weapons."

The two Moffs, known for dabbling in superweapons, looked disappointed, but nodded in agreement.

"Be sure to gain the support from the corporations in your sectors as well, especially those in the Azubani system. We need control of those shipyards."

"Youan Turi was just placed in charge of that sector by Vader," Gier said. "She's from Kiffu, and is concerned only about keeping the planets safe. If we convince her that we're the stronger force, she'll follow us."

"Some of the planets will be willing to send ships when the time comes, as well as deny Vader's forces access to resupply," said Sate Pestage. "Even if he escapes, Vader cannot hope to conquer every planet in the galaxy."

"Then the meetings with the senators have gone well?" Ysanne asked.

Sate nodded. "Ars Daganor and I have confirmed allegiances with several of the more vocal dissenters. We will continue to rally your supporters, though it will take time to do so without drawing attention."

"Agreed," Ysanne said. She drummed her fingers on the tabletop and brushed her other hand over the list of senators. "It may take over a year before we will be in a position to move. But we _will_ move, and we _will_ remove Vader. And when that happens, I will carry this galaxy into a golden age that hasn't been seen since the height of Palpatine's glory. No," Ysanne said, "even Palpatine's legacy will not be able to cast a glimmer of comparison on this new Empire. We will rule even beyond the Unknown Regions and become the single most powerful entity in the universe."

The members grinned in agreement and offered murmurs of agreement.

"Long live the Empire," Yekkr said, then smiled fiercely. "Or should I say, long live the Empress?"

Ysanne smiled. "In time, my friends, it will be one and the same. And we will be unstoppable."

* * *

Coruscant never slept, was the saying. When the sun died at night, the lights of offices, aircraft, and nightlife rose to supplant the void of darkness and spur life on until the cycle could be repeated.

The Imperial Intelligence Headquarters was one of the few buildings that didn't offer beacons to the night-dwellers of Coruscant. There were only a few stripes of red flashing lights running up the sides, and these were only to ward off unmindful pilots. It was difficult to see any details of the building, and thus virtually impossible to see a dark, unmarked one-man vessel latched between the building's jagged contours.

That, of course, was why Darth Nova chose that spot to spy on Ysanne Isard.

Bathed in the cockpit's scarlet instrument lights, Nova listened intently to the conversation unfolding in the heart of the Intelligence Headquarters Building. The Starkiller had done extensive research on the Director of Imperial Intelligence over the past few weeks, mostly by analyzing her work, since placing monitoring devices inside of the Headquarters Building was difficult, even for him, due to the Director's obsession with perfect security. He had only barely managed to place a listening device on Grand Admiral Vorlcan before she had entered the dark walls of the Imperial Intelligence Headquarters a few hours previous. Even then, the link between the listener and his ship was incredibly weak and threatened to cut out if he moved too much.

But it was enough. By the Force, it was enough for him. Nova's blood surged, and his mind raced with the now attainable vision of becoming Emperor. He had always intended to overthrow Vader; it was the way of the Sith - the _true_ Sith, not the self-denying path of Vader - for an apprentice to destroy his master. His only unresolved issue had been how to maintain control over the Empire when Vader's influence ended. But now, with Isard already planning her own coup, Nova knew that his only requirement to become Emperor would be to step in and take that control from her. The rest would fall into place on its own. He was, after all, the most powerful being in the galaxy. Who could stand against the man who had murdered a pair of suns with only his own mastery of the Force?

The members of Isard's conspiracy offered a few last comments and began to disperse. Nova pressed a control and the transmission cut off; the device he had dropped in the Grand Admiral's hair, no bigger than a water droplet, disintegrated into a whiff of ash that could never be traced back to him.

With a final triumphant laugh, Nova detached his craft from the side of the building and began his ascent back to the black recesses of space.

When he entered hyperspace, Nova sorted through the files gathered on Ysanne and deleted or altered any information that would indicate her as being a traitor. He would send his report to Thrawn, of course, though it would say that Ysanne Isard should be discounted as a potential Beta Source candidate. In fact, he might even make a comment about her diligent service; with such praise coming from his trusted apprentice, Vader might give her additional power, and thus speed up her plans to become Empress.

Well, so that _he_ could become Emperor, Nova corrected. Isard would submit or be destroyed, but he, the Starkiller, Darth Nova, Dark Lord of the Sith and Emperor, would be the one to rule the galaxy into a golden age more spectacular than any it had ever seen.

* * *

-/\\-


	29. III,1: Return of the Jedi

-/\\-

* * *

**One Missed Strike  
Part III**

Prologue

_The Galactic Civil War has reached a critical juncture. A year after the disastrous Battle of Hoth, the Rebellion has regained its strength, and now prepares to begin their final offensive against Emperor Skywalker's forces._

_But within the halls of power on Coruscant, a mutiny is brewing. Certain members of the Senate and the Imperial High Command have grown dissatisfied with the Emperor's rule, and now plot to depose him and seize power for themselves._

_Darth Vader has his own secret objective, a plan which, after more than twenty years of careful preparation, is now finally coming to fruition..._

* * *

**One**  
(Return of the Jedi)

High above the small, peaceful planet of Naboo, a gigantic angled shape seemed to blot out the stars as it slowly settled into a high orbit.

An aide in the Royal Palace, hurrying along to deliver a morning report to the Queen, happened to look out the window and saw it first. As soon as she saw the massive angular vessel perched high above the pink sunrise clouds, she shrieked, dropped the datapads she was carrying and collapsed in a dead faint.

From the windows of their tower, the city's air traffic controllers saw the first few people on the city streets stop and glance up. More followed suit, some being alerted by those who saw the ship, others seeing the others' strange behavior and glancing in curiosity. Within minutes, every person, speeder, and animal in the streets of Theed had stopped to stare up into the sky.

The _Executor_ was here.

For the millions of inhabitants in Theed, the unexpected appearance of the dark, angular shape transcending from the endless black of space into the pink, hazy hues of sunrise pierced them with an immediate wave of icy dread. The _Executor_, at nineteen kilometers long, was larger than most of the cities on Naboo, both in mass and population, and manned enough firepower to subjugate entire planets singlehandedly; billions upon billions of sentients could attest to that. But more than a ship, the _Executor _was the symbol of Lord Vader's power, and his absolute, unquestionable authority as ruler of the galaxy.

The alarms came next, blaring out in crystal clarity that Emperor Skywalker's Star Destroyer had arrived, and that it was to take immediate precedence over all other ships. More traffic controllers collapsed in their chairs; only one managed to find the courage to call their superiors to alert them of the Star Destroyer's arrival.

The ship came quickly, driven by a single-minded purpose, one that many guessed was the immediate subjugation or destruction of their planet. It was widely known that Naboo sided with the Rebellion, and while the Emperor had left Naboo alone during his twenty-four year conquest of the galaxy, the population also knew that the Sith Master was neither forgiving nor merciful to traitors. Lord Vader's conquest of Alderaan four years earlier remained as a terrible example of the Emperor's wrath for those that defied his Empire.

For another few seconds the city stayed still, and then one person ran. And in a single fleeing mass, the city exploded into chaos.

A few ships immediately fled the surface. Most were the personal vessels of the wealthy, stuffed with whatever valuables they could gather in the few minutes it took to get the ship ready for launch. Cargo ships were next, overloaded with frantic citizens who had thrown every valuable item they owned into the hands of opportunistic men for a chance to escape Lord Vader's wrath. They vanished up into the clouds, lost to the sight of the planet-bound citizens who knew that the ships would stand not chance against the firepower of the _Executor_.

On the planet, the citizens surged through the streets, the houses, the shops and bridges, cascading like a turbulent sea towards whatever location they believed would offer the most protection from the assured deadly rain of turbolaser fire ready to fall upon them in judgment at any time.

Far above the streets, the workers in the traffic control towers followed the trails of the fleeing vessels, expecting at any moment for the ships and signals to be lost to the first stages of the Sith Master's wrath. When the ships entered firing range, the workers trembled and offered a prayer to the Goddess of Safety, though more prayed to Mother Vima to guide their souls to the underworld.

But the ships passed unharmed, even those ships that passed within two kilometers of the flagship's weapon-covered hull. Five minutes passed in silence, then ten, and fifteen. No shots were fired, their communication lines remained open, and no demands were made; the Emperor's vessel simply remained perched in its quiet orbit.

Its only sign of activity was to launch a shuttle and two dropships, which remained equally silent on the trip to the planet below. No one dared to make an inquiry of the landing craft, but the air traffic controllers did watch where they went.

The shuttle and dropships landed in a wide, grassy field near Padmé Amidala Naberrie's mausoleum in the planetary capital of Theed. The controllers were puzzled at this, but kept silent again, as no one dared to ask the Imperials what they were doing there.

* * *

Thousands of light-years away, on the deserted world of Kuar, the only four sentient beings on the entire planet stood in the center of a crumbling coliseum within one of the many slowly decaying cities dotting the old world's surface.

Kuar had once been the homeworld of a thriving industrial civilization, but at some forgotten point in the distant past, the world had been conquered by the Mandalorians, who ruled the planet only long enough to strip it of most of its resources before moving on to the next target in their endless nomadic conquests. The planet had been abandoned ever since, drifting along in a slow orbit of its small yellow sun. It was far from any trade centers, and was in fact extremely out of the way, the main reason the people standing in the remains of the ancient coliseum had chosen it.

The cloudy gray sky overhead promised rain later in the day, but for now it was quiet. Not even wind moved within the decaying city, wrought in stone and rusting iron. The coliseum around them, once the site of the Mandalorians' bloodthirsty gladiatorial games, was being used as a training ground once again for the first time in centuries.

Grand Master Yoda, the last known Jedi Master in the galaxy, stood leaning on his walking stick beside Luke Skywalker as Mara Jade and Leia Organa Skywalker sparred with their lightsabers.

Leia jumped up, planted one foot on the side of a fallen stone pillar, and pushed off, somersaulting over Mara's head. As she landed, she swung her newly completed lightsaber at the other woman, the shining blue blade humming as it moved through its fast arc.

Mara spun on one foot and caught the slash on her own magenta blade, continuing the movement with a snap kick at Leia's knee. Leia leaped over the kick, angling her lightsaber to catch Mara's strike as she landed. Mara advanced, her lightsaber leaping through a series of wide, looping slashes.

Leia moved her lightsaber through a quick defensive pattern, but remained stationary, holding her ground as she tried to force Mara back with the occasional returning strike.

Finally, Mara paused and deactivated her lightsaber, running her fingers through her long red-gold hair as she pushed it back away from her face. "Good," she said as she reached back to the leather thong holding most of her hair at her neck. "But you're not moving your feet enough," she went on, pulling back the strands that had escaped the tie. "Footwork is just as essential to lightsaber combat as knowing how to angle your blade. You have to keep moving, changing your position so that your opponent is constantly forced to do the same."

Leia nodded, closing down her own lightsaber. "Okay," she said, pulling at the collar of her sleeveless white workout shirt. "Show me what you mean."

Mara grinned over at Luke. "Come on, farm-boy," she said, gesturing for him to join her. "Show your sister how it's done."

Leia stepped away as Luke took her place, igniting the emerald blade of his own lightsaber. "Watch what I do," he said to Leia, stretching his shoulders as he shifted his feet on the dusty ground.

Mara ignited her lightsaber again and immediately leaped at Luke, her lightsaber moving through a blisteringly fast offensive pattern. Luke spun to catch the first strike of the pattern on his shining green blade and, despite Mara's attack, advanced, forcing her to go on the defensive instead.

Luke shifted his feet for greatest stability with each of his strikes, in constant motion as he forced Mara back along a line leading directly for the fallen pillar. She moved her blade defensively, but even as Luke tensed his legs to do the same, she hurled herself into a back-flip, landing with both feet solidly on the pillar. She lashed down, her lightsaber in a one-handed grip as she went on the offensive again from her higher position.

"Always try to get… above your… opponent… if you can," Mara panted between strikes, spinning over Luke's slow slash at one of her feet. "Come on, Skywalker," she grinned challengingly. "You can do better than that. Get up here."

Luke obliged, throwing his body into a twisting flip that ended with his feet on the narrow pillar also, higher up than Mara. She slashed at him immediately, driving Luke backwards a step. Luke retreated for four steps, all the while moving higher up the angled pillar toward where the broken end balanced on the remains of its base.

Suddenly he stopped and leaned forward, locking blades with Mara. Leia watched as his muscles bulged under the short sleeves of his dark brown workout shirt, and he planted his feet far apart, using the greater height afforded him by the angle of the fallen pillar to force Mara back and down.

But, Mara shifted her own feet, holding her lightsaber above her head as her own muscles flexed with the exertion of keeping Luke back. Suddenly, like a striking serpent, she twisted her body and one foot leaped out in a snap kick to knock Luke's forward leg out from under him.

Luke turned his tumble into a flip, leaping again immediately after both feet touched the ground, and went into another back-flip that put three meters between him and Mara. He shifted his lightsaber into a guard position, waiting as Mara leaped off the pillar, landed in a one-handed handspring, and pushed off to go into a front-flip that ended with her lightsaber crashing against Luke's in a powerful momentum-fueled strike.

Luke laughed as he crossed blades with Mara twice. "Show-off," he said, grinning.

"You're just jealous because I'm in better shape," Mara replied, grinning herself.

"Think so, do you?" Luke countered, raising a teasing eyebrow.

With that, he launched himself into a spinning attack pattern that combined lightsaber slashes with kicks from both legs, moving almost too fast to follow with the naked eye. Leia watched as Mara was forced to give ground again and again, though she still managed to counter each slash and dodge each kick. Finally, her eyes narrowed in concentration, Mara paused for a moment and whipped her foot around in a spin kick.

Luke grunted as the kick connected solidly with his side, and he stumbled back, hand raised to indicate he wanted a pause. He grimaced as he rubbed his side, and Mara grinned teasingly.

"_That_ was showing off," she said, gesturing at him with her lightsaber. "That's what you get for trying to look good instead of concentrating on what you're doing."

"How did you do that?" Luke said, closing down his lightsaber.

"You fight just like your father," Mara replied, deactivating her own. "He's pretty fond of those flashy attacks, himself. I had to learn how to counter them if I ever wanted to hold my own when I sparred with him."

"Oh, yeah?" Luke said as he stretched his arm. "You ever win?"

Mara scoffed amusedly. "No. He's been practicing longer than I've been alive. He had a counter for every attack I was able to think of." Mara's expression went serious. "If you ever fight Vader again, Luke, you're going to have to do better than that. If _I_ could do it, he'll do it for sure, and likely do some damage, besides."

Luke nodded, looking down at his right hand. He wore a wristband to hide the line where the synthetic flesh stopped and his natural arm began, but his artificial right hand was a constant reminder of how his first duel with Darth Vader had ended.

Leia frowned to herself; both she and her brother had scars left by their father, though some were more obvious than others. How could he ever…

She stopped; this would take her into the same dark thoughts she always had when she thought about her true father. Although she was glad she now knew Luke was her brother, the only blood relative she had ever known, it always troubled her to know she was the daughter of a man she had hated for most of her life. It had been a little more than a year since she had found out, but it still seemed unbelievable sometimes.

Yoda shuffled forward a few steps, looking up at his three students. "Much have you learned," he said, an approving look on his lined face. "Much progress have you made. Soon, Jedi will you be."

Yoda grunted quietly as he shifted position, and Leia noted how frail he looked; Master Yoda was not well, and it had been growing increasingly obvious over the past few months.

"No more training do you require," Yoda said, resting both hands on his walking stick. "Soon, it will be time to leave this world."

Luke approached, concern on his face. "Master, are you all right?" he asked. He'd noticed, too.

Yoda made a dismissive wave with one hand. "Old, I am," he said tiredly. "Old and tired." He chuckled shortly, gesturing at Luke with his walking stick. "When nine hundred years old you reach, look as good _you_ will not."

Luke smiled slightly at this, but the sadness did not leave his eyes. "Let's go inside," he said to the others. "It's getting cold out here."

* * *

Inside the small dwelling the four of them had converted out of one wing of the ancient gladiator barracks, Luke helped Master Yoda into the ancient Jedi Master's bed. He feared that Yoda was much more sick than he was letting on.

Master Yoda looked over at him as if he had sensed the young man's thoughts. "Not long do I have," he confirmed. "Rest, I must."

Luke sighed sadly. Mara, standing at his side, put one hand on his shoulder and squeezed comfortingly. Leia's expression was similarly sad where she sat at the foot of the bed.

"Yes, rest," Yoda said. "Earned it, I have." He looked up at the three young people around him and smiled slightly. "No death there is," he said. "Only the Force."

Luke felt like his heart was twisting; Yoda meant he was dying _now_, not tomorrow or in a few weeks. They would lose him today, right here.

Yoda's eyes fell half-closed, as if he was having trouble keeping himself awake. He took a deep breath, looking weakly up at the three of them. "When gone am I," he said weakly, "the last of the Jedi will you be." His gnarled hand squeezed Luke's, at his side. "Pass on what you have learned."

The Jedi Master's breathing became labored, and there was great exertion behind his words, as if he had to struggle to speak now. "Remember, a Jedi's strength flows from the Force. Beware of anger, fear, and aggression. The Dark Side are they. Easily they flow, quick to join you in a fight." He met Luke's eyes in warning. "Once you start down the dark path, forever will it dominate your destiny."

Luke nodded, swallowing past the painful lump in his throat. How could Yoda be leaving them? He wasn't ready yet. He had much he still wanted to share with the old Master, much he wanted him to see. Luke had always thought that he would have Yoda for many more years, that he would be able to help him rebuild the Jedi Order, but those hopes ended today. Today, he would lose another mentor.

Now Luke understood just why his father was so desperate to find a way around death; there was no greater pain than to lose a loved one.

Luke suddenly clutched his head as he felt a painfully strong building-up of power. It seemed as if a bright white light flashed behind his eyes, blinding him. As if from very far away, he heard Mara's voice asking him what was wrong.

_Come to me, _Luke heard his father's voice say in his mind. Along with it, he saw a peaceful green world, and then an elegant white building, a mausoleum. Finally, the image in his mind shifted to the top of the tomb, showing the name there, his mother's.

Then, just as suddenly as it had appeared, the image vanished, leaving Luke gasping for breath. He looked up to see Leia looking back at him, and from her expression, he could tell she had seen the same thing.

Yoda nodded slowly. "Go to him," he said, and coughed, his breath rattling within his chest. "Put an end to Vader, you must."

"Can he be…" Luke paused. "Can he be turned back?"

"Anakin's choice, that is," Yoda said quietly. "But put an end to the Sith, you must. Vader and his apprentice must be confronted." The ancient Jedi Master looked over at Leia, including her in his statement. "Bring balance to the Force, you must. Do this, _you_ can. Succeed, you will, where your father failed."

Finally, Yoda lay back against the pillows and. He looked up at the three of them, his voice so weak it was barely audible. "Proud of you, I am…"

And then his body flickered and faded out of being. The empty blanket slowly collapsed against the bed, and Yoda was gone.

* * *

Outside the mausoleum on Naboo, Trooper Tyraj Kolos, designation TK-421, stood at attention in a line beside two dozen of his fellow stormtroopers, his white armor gleaming in the sunlight. Beside their troop transport sat the Emperor's personal shuttle, from which he had yet to emerge. TK-421 and the other troopers had been waiting in formation for nearly an hour, but no complaints were heard. Lord Vader could make them wait here for the rest of the day if he wished, and none of the men in this detachment of the Imperial 501st would complain. Vader's Fist lived only to serve their Emperor.

Finally, the silent gray shuttle whirred with machinery as the ramp below the cockpit slowly lowered. The men of the 501st stiffened even further, every one of them still as a statue.

Inside his helmet, Tyraj shifted his eyes to watch the Emperor emerge, though this was undetectable from outside. First came six of the red-cloaked Royal Guards, their faces concealed by smooth bullet-shaped helmets, holding meter-long pikes in their hands. If the Emperor had brought his guards, Tyraj knew, it must mean that he intended to stay here for quite some time; Lord Vader usually didn't bother bringing the fiercely loyal red-armored elite troopers along.

Next, the hem of a long black cloak and a pair of polished black boots became visible at the top of the ramp, and Tyraj watched as the dark figure slowly descended the ramp, mostly hidden by the overhanging cockpit of the _Lambda-_class shuttle.

Sith Master Darth Vader strode into view, his long black cloak billowing out behind him as he marched across the grassy field. He was tall and broad-shouldered, dressed in a black Imperial uniform devoid of insignia but for a bit of silver trim. His dark blond hair was cut military-short, and Tyraj noted that Emperor Skywalker had grown a beard since he had seen him last, kept precisely trimmed. Both hair and beard were visibly sprinkled with gray, much of it concentrated at his temples and on his chin.

Lord Vader looked over the troopers, his glowing blue mechanical eye gleaming beneath its lens, which was bolted directly to the Sith Master's skull like an eyepatch. He approached rapidly, and stopped in front of Tyraj, meeting his eyes through the trooper's helmet lenses.

"No one is to be allowed inside," he said, and immediately turned to march up the steps of the mausoleum.

"You heard the Emperor," one of the Royal Guards said, gesturing with his pike.

The stormtroopers quickly took up position around the small white building, surrounding it, while the Royal Guards went inside. Tyraj planted himself in the center of the bottom step of the white stone stairway, his blaster rifle held at an angle across his chest.

He had not the slightest clue why the Emperor was here or what his business was inside, but it was not his place to ask questions.

* * *

The _Millennium Falcon_'s engines rumbled as its pilot slowly set the battered freighter down in the center of the abandoned coliseum on Kuar.

Luke, Leia, and Mara were waiting at the edge of the stone ring, their bags packed with what few possessions they'd kept with them here during the last phase of their training.

As the ramp on the familiar starship lowered, Leia moved forward to greet the man waiting at the end. Han Solo grinned broadly as he saw her coming. Leia smiled back as they embraced in greeting, but her expression slowly faded into one of sadness.

"Hey, what is it?" Han asked, leaving one arm around her shoulders.

"Master Yoda passed away," Leia replied, looking back off at the ruined buildings.

Han squeezed her shoulder comfortingly. He turned his head to look over at Luke, gesturing with his other hand back inside his ship. "It's good you called me when you did; there's something big brewing with the Alliance. They wanted me to come get you sooner, but I held off; I didn't want to risk the Imps following me here until you were ready to leave."

"Well, it had to be like that," Mara replied. "Vader would never pass up a chance to kill me and Yoda and capture these two. If he had even the slightest clue where we were, he would have sent an entire fleet of Star Destroyers."

"At least," Han said with a wry grin. "I hope you guys learned a lot," he went on, "because Alliance Command has been bugging me to go find you for the last month or so. They've finally got all their forces built up, and they're saying it's time to go after Vader."

As they walked inside and Luke stowed the bags in a storage compartment, Han shouted up the passageway to the cockpit that they were ready to go. Chewbacca bellowed back, and with a powerful rumble of its engines, the_ Falcon _lifted free of the ground and started up on its way out of the atmosphere.

Han gestured to Winter as the elegant young woman stood from the acceleration couch behind the gameboard table in the main hold. "She knows more about what's going on than I do," he said. "She'll tell you all about it." With that, he headed up to the cockpit.

Luke settled into the chair next to the hold's computer console as the three women sat down in the acceleration couch. Almost as soon as they were all seated, Han and Chewie punched the sublight engines and roared out of the atmosphere, pushing them all back in their seats until the inertial dampeners caught up with the starship's velocity.

"There will be more in the briefing," Winter said as she looked around at the other three, "but I'll tell you now that it seems Vader has made a tactical blunder; the _Executor_ is alone at Naboo, without any support ships, and there are no nearby bases. If we gather the entire fleet and strike, we can take him out in one battle."

"Vader wants us to come to Naboo," Leia said, glancing over at Luke. "He told us through the Force. It has something to do with our mother, but I'm not sure what."

Luke sighed; he'd kept to himself what Vader had said to him at the end of their duel at Cloud City, but now it was plainly time to tell the others.

"I know why," Luke said, looking over at them. He hesitated for a moment, trying to think of the right way to word what he had to say, but finally decided to just speak plainly. "Vader thinks he can bring our mother back to life with the Force, and he wants us to help him do it."

"_What?!_" Leia and Mara exclaimed simultaneously. Leia glanced at Mara, but the other woman spoke first. "He never said anything about that to me!"

"I don't think he's told anyone," Luke said. "He told me at the end of our duel on Bespin, trying to get me to join him. He said he'd figured out the process, but couldn't do it by himself. He wanted me to help him."

"Is that even possible?" Leia said incredulously. "Mother has been dead since the day we were born."

"She's been in suspended animation the entire time, though," Mara said, looking across the table at her. "Biologically, she's only been dead for a few minutes, maybe an hour." She shrugged. "I've seen Vader do stranger things with the Force, including sending a sun into supernova by himself; if he thinks he can do it, he probably can."

"He could definitely do it with both of us helping him," Luke said to Leia.

"You aren't seriously considering helping him?" Leia said disbelievingly. "It's obviously a trap, Luke."

"No, I think he genuinely does want to bring Mother back," Luke replied. "He'll probably try to get us to join him again, but I don't think he'd hurt us if we agreed to help him. When he was telling me about what he wanted to do, I…" He trailed off, searching for the right words. "I could sense how much pain he was in. He never accepted Mother's death, Leia; I think he's been planning this the entire time, ever since she died."

"You're really thinking about this!" Leia said, astonished. "I… I can't believe it! Why would you even consider going along with this? It's… it's unnatural!"

Luke was about to reply, but Mara interrupted. "Whether you help Vader bring back Padmé or not, you can't deny the advantage this gives us. Yes, Vader has a ship full of troops with him, but he's alone on the planet. The three of us can take him; I'm sure of it. If the rest of the Rebellion's fleet keeps the _Executor_ busy, we can go in, either capture or kill Vader, and force them to surrender. We can end the war _right now_."

"The plans have been made," Winter said quietly, looking right at Luke. "We hope you help us with this, but we are prepared to complete the mission without you. If you had been any later in coming back, we would have gone ahead anyway. This opportunity cannot be passed up."

"I know," Luke said, absently running his thumb over the cool metal grip of his lightsaber. "I'll help you. It's just… tempting, is all," he said, looking down at his boots. "I've never known my mother, so to have that chance…"

Leia's expression softened, and she sighed quietly. "I know what you mean," she said. "I suppose it's harder for you, since you've known about her almost your whole life. I didn't even know she was my mother until Vader told me."

The four of them were quiet for a few moments after this, each deep in thought, but they looked up at the sound of footsteps.

Han strode into the hold, a big grin on his face. "I have some great news," he said, oblivious to the somber mood.

"What?" Mara asked, looking over at him.

Han grin grew wider. "Jabba's dead!"

"What?" Luke exclaimed, leaning forward in his seat. "When?"

"About two weeks ago," Han replied, leaning on the back of the couch. "Somebody managed to hide a thermal detonator in his food!" He imitated the sound of an explosion as he spread his fingers.

"Do they know who did it?" Luke asked.

Han shrugged. "They're not sure. The local government is just glad he's gone, so they haven't been looking into it too much. I heard all his flunkies had a wild party after it happened, but then the palace sealed up tight and nobody's heard anything out of it since."

Mara let out a low whistle of amazement. "Jabba had a big organization," she said. "Now that he's dead, either another Hutt is going to move in and take over his territory, or it's all just going to splinter among his lieutenants. There's going to be a major mob war now, I'll bet."

"Nope!" Han said, still grinning. "Get this: when Vader found out, he declared that the Empire was seizing all of Jabba's property and sent two warships to take over the planet. Tatooine completely belongs to the Empire now. And," Han added, somehow managing to make his smile even more delighted, "Jabba's bounty on me is canceled! Nobody's going to pay it, so nobody's after me anymore!"

"Except the Hunters still interested in your _Imperial_ bounty," Mara replied dryly. "That one's probably higher than Jabba's ever was. It's amazing Boba Fett hasn't caught you again by now."

Han's triumphant expression collapsed almost comically, and Luke had to stifle a laugh despite himself.

"The Hutts aren't just going to let Vader confiscate Jabba's holdings," Leia said. "He owned most of Tatooine and a great deal more, and even the Hutts will fight to try and keep that."

"Can you think of anybody who could handle it better?" Han said. "Hutts like staying alive even more than they like money; none of them are crazy enough to try and take on the Empire." He smirked at Leia as he said the last statement, and she smiled wryly.

"Vader personally went to Tatooine to announce the takeover," Han continued. "Y'know, seeing the looks on the crowd's faces when Vader announced that slavery was now illegal on Tatooine and everyone was free was almost enough to make you like the guy." He frowned. "Almost."

Leia's expression was puzzled. "Why would he bother doing something like that? That doesn't sound like him."

"Anakin grew up on Tatooine," Luke said. "He was a slave himself once."

Mara's brows lifted in surprise. "I never knew that," she said. "He never told me anything about his early life, so I just assumed he grew up in the Temple like all the other Jedi."

"Obi-Wan told me that Anakin and his mother were slaves, sent to Tatooine when they were owned by Gardulla the Hutt," Luke said. "My mother's starship was damaged while she was escaping from the Trade Federation blockade of Naboo, so they stopped at Tatooine for repairs. Obi-Wan's teacher, a Jedi Master named Qui-Gon Jinn, encountered Anakin while they were there, and he brought him along to be trained by the Jedi when they left. That's how my mother and Obi-Wan met Anakin, actually."

Luke paused for a moment, smiling slightly to himself in surprise as he thought about what had happened. "Obi-Wan once said to me that Anakin told him he always meant to go back to Tatooine and free the rest of the slaves. I guess he finally made good on his promise."

Han gave him a puzzled look. "What's with the sympathy for your dad, kid? I thought you hated him."

Luke looked over at his friend as he leaned back in his chair. "I did, once. But ever since I fought him at Bespin, I've been thinking about what he said to me, trying to figure out what my father's real motives are for why he does the things he does."

"He's evil and power-hungry," Leia said bluntly. "He does what he does so that he can get more power for himself."

"I'm not so sure," said Luke. "From what Obi-Wan and Yoda told me about him, Anakin's fall to the Dark Side all started when he became so afraid of losing our mother that he became willing to do anything to save her life. Palpatine preyed on this, and tempted him to the Dark Side. When my mother died, and Anakin killed Palpatine, he saw no course left to him but to take control of the Empire and try to keep the galaxy stable after so much upheaval." Luke glanced around at the others. "I don't see Anakin as a wholly evil man; he is trying to do the right thing, but right now he is using entirely the wrong methods."

"Stop calling him Anakin!" Leia shouted as she abruptly stood from her seat, surprising Luke with her vehemence. She took a step toward him, radiating fury. "Anakin Skywalker is dead, Luke. You've said so yourself. All that's left is Darth Vader, and he is a _monster_. You weren't there when he tortured me, and you weren't there when he did the same to Han and then had him frozen in carbonite. Vader might have been our father once, but all that is left is a heartless creature of the Dark Side who doesn't care anything about anybody else. Do you really think our mother would want to come back to a man like that?"

Luke could think of nothing to say; he'd had no idea Leia was this angry about this. He knew she had been having a hard time accepting it, but obviously none of her resentment toward Vader had gone away, even after she learned the truth.

He wisely decided not to argue with his sister; she was clearly in no mood to hear Luke's opinions about their father.

"All right," Luke said as calmly as he was able. "We won't talk about it right now."

Leia visibly attempted to calm herself, as well. "I'm sorry I shouted at you, Luke," she said quietly. "But I just can't see Vader the same way you do. He's done too much to me and the people I love for me to see him as anything but my enemy."

Luke nodded once. "I understand." And he did; it had taken Luke a long time to get past his hatred of his father, and he had known for far longer than Leia had.

More to change the subject than anything else, he turned to Han. "How much longer is it until we meet up with the fleet?" he asked.

"Most of the day," Han said. "We're quite a ways away from the rendezvous point." He gave Luke a good-natured frown and pointed at him in mock-warning. "No sparring to pass the time. This ship's beat-up enough as it is without you Jedi cutting holes in it."

Mara laughed, and Luke managed a small smile, but Leia showed no trace of amusement. She quietly left the hold, headed for the rear of the ship.

Luke started to get up, but Han held up a hand. "I'd let her cool down a while, if I were you."

The young Jedi nodded. "You're right."

* * *

In the Grand Vizier's office in the Senate building on Coruscant, Sate Pestage sat at his desk, busily going through the Imperial budget for the year. Vader was burning through credits, funneling trillions into the Imperial military, as usual, and this left a deficit in several other areas.

Pestage leaned back in his chair with an annoyed sigh. Vader was a warrior at heart, and this showed clearly through the way he ruled the Empire; he was single-mindedly focused on catching the Rebels, including his son Luke Skywalker, and the rest of the Empire could go to blazes for all he cared. Sate was left to handle the administrative duties of running the Empire, which mostly entailed cleaning up Vader's messes. The Senate was in an uproar, _again_, because Vader had once again increased the military budget without consulting them.

Threats were proving less and less effective against the angry politicians, which was also frustrating, because Sate knew, after working for Darth Vader for more than twenty years, that if they angered him enough, the Emperor would completely disband the Senate and turn the Empire into a military dictatorship, handing direct control over the galaxy to the Imperial Governors.

Sate allowed himself a slow grin; this wouldn't bother him at all, since by now, most of the governors were loyal to _him_ and not Vader. The politicians were clamoring for change, risking accusations of treason by insisting that Vader make himself more accountable to the rest of the government. They had all been chafing under Vader's rule for far too long; many, many people were tired of having Darth Vader's boot on their necks, and while no one openly said anything, a revolution was brewing.

This, of course, played right into Sate's hands; he'd been plotting this for a year now.

The door buzzed, and Sate glanced over at the small screen set into his desk that displayed the feed from a small camera mounted above the outer door to his office. He recognized the woman standing there, and hit the control that opened the doors. As he did so, Sate engaged the privacy field around his office, scrambling any possible listening devices. No one could listen to this conversation; if any hint of the discussion that was about to take place got back to Lord Vader, he would have both of their heads.

A tall, arrogantly noble woman, attractive in a deadly sort of way, strode into Sate's office. She was dressed in an Imperial uniform, red as freshly spilled blood, with black gloves covering her hands. Her long dark hair hung loosely around her face, a prominent white streak contrasting sharply.

Ysanne Isard, Director of Imperial Intelligence, was a woman of contrasts, in both personality and appearance. Her most distinguishing feature, by far, was her mismatched eyes, one red as fire and the other a cold ice-blue. Sate had more than once thought to himself that Isard's eyes matched the two extremes of her personality; she could be terrifyingly cold and emotionless in some situations, but sometimes her temper would flare with all the rage of a burning sun.

"Vader has isolated himself at Naboo," Isard announced without preamble as she strode up to the edge of Sate's desk. "The _Executor_ is alone there. Now is an excellent time to strike."

Sate leaned back in his chair, slowly tapping his fingers together. "You are confident the rest of the preparations are complete?" he asked, looking up at his co-conspirator.

Isard nodded, crossing her arms over her chest. "The politicians are willing to follow you, and most of the military is willing to follow me. Three-quarters of the Empire will rally to our side, Pestage; if we destroy Vader and the _Executor_, we take out the best of the Navy's officers. After that, it's just a matter of mopping up the loyalists. Then," Isard's lips quirked in a slow, confident grin, "the Empire is ours."

"You mean mine."

Both of them jumped at the voice, looking around the office for the disembodied voice.

In one corner of Sate's office, the air seemed to shimmer and blur before a young man with closely shorn dark hair, dressed in a black Imperial uniform, appeared. He approached them swiftly, holding out one hand. Sate reflexively tried to leap under his desk for cover, but found he was unable to move, gripped in an invisible hold that kept him frozen in position. Across the desk, Isard was similarly frozen, though subtle movements and her expression made it obvious she was struggling against the hold.

Darth Nova, his eyes glowing a burning shade of yellow, looked between the Grand Vizier and the Director of Imperial Intelligence. "I have known for quite some time what you two were up to," he said. "The only reason you are still alive is because your conspiracy suits my own purposes."

The Sith Lord's voice was eerily calm as he walked in a slow circle around Sate and Isard. "I am adding myself as a third member of this conspiracy; I will rally the Sith to my own purposes, while Director Isard's followers among the military will work to quickly eliminate the loyalists. Pestage, your political connections will solidify my rulership."

He gestured to the two of them with one hand as he stopped beside the desk. "You two had the right idea; Darth Vader is no longer fit to rule this galaxy. The time has come for me to take his place as both Emperor and Sith Master." He leaned closer. "You two are going to help me with this. Otherwise, I will kill you both now. Your answers?"

Sate immediately nodded as soon as he was able, terrified. Isard shot the Sith Lord a glare of pure hatred, but after several seconds of silence, finally nodded once.

Nova gave them a disturbingly predatory grin. "Excellent," he said. "Let's get to it."

* * *

-/\\-


	30. III,2: Answering the Call

-/\\-

* * *

**Two**  
(Answering the Call)

The central briefing room of the Alliance flagship _Home One_ was abuzz with conversation as the gathered Rebels waited for the meeting to begin. At long last, here was their first viable chance for victory against the Empire; they had been organizing for this, stockpiling supplies, recruiting huge numbers of eager freedom fighters, and arming any ship they could get their hands on for years in preparation for the possibility of this day.

From his seat on the lowest level of the seating area, nearest the central holoprojector, Luke looked around at the circular white room, framed above by expansive viewports which displayed the star-specked blackness of space. He extended his perceptions, feeling the worry, determination, excitement, and dozens of other emotions roiling through the crowd.

Luke moved part of his long brown outer robe out of the way, absently running the edge of his thumb up and down the cool metal grip of the lightsaber at his side. The call his father had sent out through the Force was foremost in his mind, and as he waited for the Alliance command to begin, he thought back over every detail of the brief vision.

On his left, he could sense that his sister Leia's thoughts ran in a similar direction, though she was decidedly more negative on the subject. She knew that Luke wanted to answer the call, to go to their father, and a part of her did, too, but another, larger part wanted to ignore the call entirely, just to spite Vader. It was understandable, considering all that Vader had done to her over the years, but Luke was still troubled by her anger.

On Luke's other side sat Mara, who, as usual, wore a form-fitting outfit in dark colors, designed for greatest freedom of movement. Her thoughts were sharp and clear, focused like a sweeping searchlight on looking around the audience. Underneath that, she was thinking about the possibility of seeing Vader again, and whether or not she would be able to confront him if it came to that. A dozen different memories of Vader displaying terrifying power flashed through her mind, accompanied by analysis of the techniques used and how best to counter them.

Luke reached over and squeezed her hand in reassurance, silently letting her know that he was similarly anxious about another confrontation with his father. But, he added through their bond in the Force, he would do what was necessary if it came down to battle again; he would stay at her side no matter what happened.

Mara smiled as she squeezed his hand back, assuring him of the same thing.

The crowd quieted as Mon Mothma approached the central holoprojector, elegant as always in her flowing white gown. Her voice was soft, yet filled with determination. "The Emperor has made a critical error, and the time for our attack has come," she began, looking around the circular white room at those gathered. "He has isolated his flagship at the planet Naboo, cut off from the rest of his fleet. We do not currently know his reasons for this, but we cannot ignore the opportunity this presents.

"In one concerted effort, we can capture Darth Vader and force him to step down as Emperor. If he and his troops make that impossible, we will still be able to destroy the _Executor_ and remove the threat it poses to both our Alliance and to the peace of the galaxy."

Mon Mothma paused for a moment, looking around the auditorium at the Rebels. "This may be the most important thing we have ever done. It will require the full cooperation of the entire Alliance, with all its members working to their fullest. In one decisive strike, we can remove the leadership of the Imperial military, and from there begin the final campaign to topple the Empire once and for all. Our goal has always been to restore the Republic that Darth Vader and his master Palpatine destroyed, and today, we have a very real possibility of completing that goal."

The audience was abuzz with approving murmurs for several moments, and Mon Mothma waited until they fell silent to resume speaking. "Here to help us plan this final strike is Garm Bel Iblis, former Senator for Corellia."

As she stepped aside, gesturing to the tall, blond-haired man who strode up to the holoprojector next to her, several members of the audience gasped.

"I didn't know he was here," Mara murmured to Luke.

"I thought he was dead," said Han.

Bel Iblis waited for the murmurs to die down before he began speaking. "As many of you know, I was a founding member of this Alliance, but later broke away over disagreements with certain other elements of the leadership." He paused. "However, this opportunity is too important for me to ignore. So, I and all my forces have rejoined the Alliance to Restore the Republic."

"Admiral Ackbar and I have worked out a preliminary strategy," Bel Iblis continued. "Four years ago, at the Battle of Yavin, only two squadrons of fighters managed to cripple the _Executor_." Bel Iblis smiled broadly. "You know what an extraordinary stroke of luck that was." He glanced at Luke. "The Force must have truly been with us that day."

His smile slowly faded. "It will need to be with us again for this operation," he said grimly. "Not only have Darth Vader and his crew upgraded the _Executor_ since the Battle of Yavin, removing the weaknesses that you were able to exploit, Grand Admiral Thrawn is aboard. Make no mistake," Bel Iblis said firmly, "Thrawn is a genius, able to turn almost any situation to his advantage. We may greatly outnumber the _Executor_, but do not let yourselves become overconfident. A man of Thrawn's tactical abilities and a Super Star Destroyer are a deadly combination; we can win the battle, but it will still be arduous."

Bel Iblis was silent for a long moment, looking out over the audience with a grave expression. "We have devised a strategy, though. Admiral?"

Admiral Ackbar came forward to stand at the projector with Bel Iblis. At a gesture from his flipper-like hand, Bel Iblis manipulated a control on the projector, which flared to life, displaying a large, detailed representation of the Imperial flagship above the heads of the audience.

"The _Executor_ is the most advanced ship in the Imperial fleet," Ackbar began. "It is heavily armed and armored, with redundant shield generators, triple-layered armor plating over vital systems, and nearly twice the number of turbolaser emplacements of other ships of its class. Lord Vader and the crew of the _Executor_ were humiliated when we took advantage of their ship's weaknesses at Yavin, and they have spent the last several years ensuring that such a thing does not happen again."

The Mon Calamarian paused for a moment, looking out over the audience with his large, fish-like eyes. "But, there is still hope," he said. "There is a double agent aboard the flagship, one which many of you know as Beta Source. General Bel Iblis has suggested that we contact Beta Source to arrange for sabotage of some of the _Executor_'s systems prior to our attack."

A murmur passed like a wave through the crowd, the various gathered Rebels looking at each other in surprise.

"The identity of Beta Source has been kept a closely guarded secret to protect our agent from the Empire," Ackbar continued. "Up till now, the information Beta Source has provided to us has been far too valuable to allow the agent to be put at risk, but as Mon Mothma said, we cannot ignore this opportunity. We may never get another like it again."

Luke stood suddenly, approaching the projector without being summoned. Ackbar blinked in surprise at the interruption as he approached, and Bel Iblis opened his mouth to object, but Luke calmly raised a hand.

"I have another solution," he said, looking up at the Rebel commanders. "Let me go ahead to Naboo to talk to my father. I might be able to negotiate a peaceful resolution to this-"

A loud, incredulous snort from behind Ackbar and Bel Iblis interrupted him. "What is this foolishness?" Borsk Fey'lya demanded, swiftly standing and moving toward the center of the room. "Darth Vader has been searching for you ever since he learned of your existence, Skywalker. Now you want to go right to him? Have you gone mad?"

Luke maintained his calm expression, not allowing the irritating Bothan to provoke him. "My father's emotions are in turmoil right now," he said. "I can sense that he is conflicted. If I am able to persuade him to turn away from the Dark Side of the Force, he will become more reasonable and open to discussion. We can end this war without further loss of life."

The young Jedi turned to look up at the gathered members of the Rebellion. "Hasn't there been enough killing already? We are fighting this war so that we might form a more stable and ethical government to rule this galaxy. Why not show how we are better than the Empire by trying one last time to resolve things diplomatically?"

Ackbar looked down at him from the platform. "What do you propose?" he said.

Luke gestured back to where Mara, Leia, and Han sat. He had already discussed his plan with them, and Mara had said that she was going with him no matter what. Leia had required a bit of convincing, but she had finally agreed to go along, and once she was on board, so was Han.

"I ask that you allow my friends and I to go ahead of the fleet in the _Millennium Falcon_. According to our intelligence, Lord Vader is spending most of his time in my mother's mausoleum; this tells me that he is thinking back to the last time he saw her, the day before I was born and she died. I know that my mother's death is my father's deepest regret, so he may be more receptive to what I have to say right now."

"Oh, yes," Fey'lya said sarcastically, "let us send some of the most valuable members of this Rebellion directly into the Emperor's hands, exactly where he wants them. Perhaps his former agent can even be of some assistance!"

Mara tensed, about to surge to her feet, but Luke sent out a calming wave through the Force, soothing her temper before she could hurl the justly deserved curses and insults boiling beneath the surface at the Bothan.

"You go too far, Fey'lya," Ackbar said before Luke could say anything. "Mara Jade has more than proven where her true loyalties now lie, and I will accept no further insinuations from you." He turned to fully face the Bothan. "Sit down," the Calamarian said curtly.

The Bothan scowled, but backed away and took his seat, glaring at Luke and Mara.

Bel Iblis had been quietly conferring with Mon Mothma and Bail Organa for a moment, and now he turned back to face Luke.

"You may go ahead of the fleet," he said, "but we will bring the rest of our forces to the edges of the system behind you. If you have not achieved some kind of preliminary cease-fire agreement within six hours of your landing, we will move in and activate our captured Interdictor ships to keep the _Executor_ from leaving."

Bel Iblis touched a control, and the image of the _Executor_ zoomed in on the long-range comm array. "The Empire has already disabled the system's HoloNet relays," he said. "If at all possible, you will relay to Beta Source that the _Executor_'s long-range communications must be disabled so that they cannot call for reinforcements. The nearest Imperial battle group is twelve hours away from the system at maximum lightspeed, so even if they call for the fleet immediately upon your landing, this will still give us time to engage the _Executor_ with our forces and either destroy or disable it before reinforcements arrive."

Luke nodded in acceptance.

"If you have not reported on your progress within six hours," Ackbar warned, "we will proceed with the attack."

"Very well," said Luke. "We will leave immediately."

* * *

Darth Nova stood before the Sith Master's throne in the Temple, in the circular chamber that had once been the Council room when this building belonged to the Jedi. Before him were crowded nearly a hundred other Sith, packed tightly together in the black and dark gray room. The curtains were drawn across the expansive windows, casting the room into an almost cave-like dimness, the only spot of illumination the solitary lamp active above the throne which draped the massive black chair in a cone of luminance.

"You are here," he began, looking at his followers, "because you believe, as I do, that Darth Vader is no longer fit to lead our Order and our Empire. He no longer has the strength or the conviction necessary to guide this galaxy into the golden age he has promised since he ascended the throne."

Approving murmurs rippled through the crowd.

"He claims to be fighting the Rebels," Nova went on, "but he refuses to do what is necessary! The Rebels are a plague, a cancer within this galaxy, and must be removed and destroyed before they infect too many worlds to save. What Lord Vader _should_ be doing is what we did when we were faced with the Ssi-Ruuk!" Nova exclaimed. "We should marshal our forces and chase them all back into their bases like the vermin that they are, and then we should exterminate them just as we did with the lizards!"

Many of the Sith, who had themselves fought against the Ssi-Ruuk, nodded in approval.

"It is the way of the Sith, the _true_ Sith, for the strong to eliminate the weak," Nova said, clenching his fist. "Vader is weak. When the Sith Apprentice has surpassed the Master, it is his duty to destroy him and so establish his power. The time has come for me to destroy Vader and take his place as Sith Master and Emperor. You are here because you believe the same as I do."

Nova beckoned one of the Sith out of the crowd, and the young woman moved forward with a sinuous predator's grace to stand at his side in front of the throne.

She was tall and muscular, with thick ebony hair partially bound up in warrior's braids to keep it out of her face. Her skin was pale, almost bone-white, but her piercing eyes, an electric shade of violet, stabbed out like daggers in a critical, fierce gaze over the crowd. She wore a tunic of lizard hide, its glittering scales alternating shades of deep purple and black, that left her muscular arms bare for greatest range of movement. Under the tunic, which dropped just below her hips, the young woman wore skintight black leggings tucked into knee-length boots made of the same black-and-purple lizard hide as her tunic. A lightsaber hung from her belt along with a variety of other weapons, mostly daggers with wickedly curved and barbed blades.

"As of now, I declare that Darth Vader has lost his right to rule the Sith and the Empire. I declare myself Sith Master, and my greatest student Tamith Kai as my Sith Apprentice."

Tamith Kai crossed her arms over her chest, lifting her chin to look down at the other Sith as Darth Nova boldly stepped to the Sith Master's throne and ascended its steps. As his followers watched, Nova slowly lowered himself with grim dignity onto the throne, staring out from its shadows with burning yellow eyes.

"Kneel before your Master," Tamith Kai said to the crowd of Sith, her voice deep and rich, tinged with an exotic accent.

The black-robed crowd swiftly dropped to one knee before Darth Nova on his throne. When they were all on their knees, Tamith Kai glanced over her shoulder at Nova, who nodded approvingly.

"Rise," the Dathomiran warrior woman said sharply.

The crowd quickly obeyed again, gazing up at Nova with approving looks, silently swearing their loyalty to him.

"Excellent," Nova said with satisfaction. "This is only the beginning, my brothers and sisters. Go out among the rest of the Sith, and see who else might join our cause." He hardened his features into a grim, determined mask. "Kill the rest," he commanded. "Any still foolish enough to follow Vader are not worthy to be among us."

The crowd dispersed with malicious anticipation, intent on their new task. Once they were gone, Nova looked down at Tamith Kai. "Bring me Isard," he said. "It is time to complete our preparations."

The Dathomiran warrior nodded once and briskly strode from the room.

Nova watched her go as he settled back into his throne.

* * *

"Are you sure you still want to go through with this? It's not too late to turn around."

Luke, seated in the navigator's chair in the cockpit of the _Millennium Falcon_, took a deep breath, looking out at the glittering stars and planets arrayed in front of them. He glanced over at Han, who was half turned around in his chair, looking at him concernedly.

"No, Han," said Luke. "This is something I have to do. If you don't want to risk the others, I'll take one of the escape pods."

Chewbacca bellowed an objection to this, and Han gave his copilot a hurt look.

"Of course I wasn't going to let him do it!" he said. "What kind of guy do you think I am?"

Chewie growled an amused comment, for which Han took a playful swing at his shoulder.

"Quiet, fuzz-head," Han chuckled.

Not for the first time, Luke wished he understood Chewbacca's language better. He smiled.

"So are we going or what?" Mara asked as she entered the cockpit. She dropped into the seat next to Luke, raising her eyebrows questioningly.

"Yes, we're going," said Luke.

Han half-frowned as he turned back to the controls. "I've got a bad feeling about this," he muttered under his breath. "Here we go," he said more loudly as he touched the hyperspace lever for a microjump into the system.

* * *

On the bridge of the _Executor_, Admiral Firmus Piett crossed to the sensor officer's station when the man reported a contact coming into range.

"What is it this time?" Piett asked as he descended the stairs into the port crew pit. "Another trader, or yet another returning Naboo cruiser demanding entrance to the system?"

The man was silent for a moment, staring at his screen incredulously, and Piett took a step closer, frowning.

"Comm station reports that the pilot has identified his ship as the _Millennium Falcon_, sir," the sensor officer reported.

"What?" Piett exclaimed incredulously.

"Sensor profile matches, sir," the sensor officer went on. "It's the same ship we chased at Hoth and Bespin."

"Well, what in blazes is he doing here? If he's seen us, why isn't he running away?" Piett demanded of the officer, who shrugged helplessly.

"Is there a problem, Admiral?" a quiet, cultured voice asked from the command walkway.

Piett glanced up at Grand Admiral Thrawn, who stood on the command walkway above them, his glowing red eyes fixed on the admiral. "The _Millennium Falcon_ has just entered sensor range, sir," Piett replied.

The comm station flared to life, and a life-size hologram of Darth Vader appeared on the walkway next to Thrawn, interrupting whatever the Grand Admiral had been about to say.

"_Allow my son's vessel to land_," Vader said to Piett. "_Direct him to my coordinates_."

Just as abruptly, the hologram disappeared.

Piett and Thrawn exchanged a glance, and the Grand Admiral cocked an eyebrow.

"Skywalker is surrendering?" Piett said, surprised.

"So it would seem," said Thrawn. "Relay Lord Vader's coordinates to the _Millennium Falcon_."

Piett carried out his orders, but as he did so, a nagging thought crept into the back of his mind; when the Rebellion had first announced the existence of its young Jedi, many on both sides had suspected that he was Anakin Skywalker's son, though there was much speculation as to his mother's identity. However, the Emperor had, at the time, released a statement condemning the Rebellion's claims, calling the boy an impostor and offering a bounty for his capture.

But the Emperor had just offhandedly confirmed Skywalker was his son. If this was true, Piett thought, watching the white shape of the _Millennium Falcon_ as it flew past them, then something else was also true.

Padmé Amidala's death had not gone unnoticed during the tumult of the Transition, and it was widely rumored that she had been pregnant at the time. The times were about right; the late Senator's child would be Skywalker's age by now. And, there was no other reason Piett could think of for Vader to come here and spend days on end inside her mausoleum.

Anakin Skywalker was the father of Senator Amidala's rumored child, and that child was Luke Skywalker.

Piett stared down at the blue-and-green globe of Naboo below them. What was Lord Vader's objective here? Had he really come here to make peace with his son over his wife's grave?

If so, did that mean Skywalker would be joining the ranks of the Empire? Or - and Piett almost did not dare hope this - did this mean that the Emperor was ready to negotiate some kind of cease-fire with the Rebellion?

Piett glanced over at Thrawn to find his commanding officer staring back at him as if he had been reading Piett's mind, his glowing red eyes intense.

"If the Rebels are here to negotiate," said Thrawn, "I will recommend that Lord Vader accept their offer of cease-fire. The Empire has better things to do with its personnel and resources than chase a band of dissidents about the galaxy."

Piett nodded in wholehearted agreement.

* * *

Trooper TK-421 stood at attention outside the _Millennium Falcon_ at the head of his squad of elite stormtroopers. The entire honor guard that had accompanied the Emperor to the surface of Naboo was gathered outside the disreputable-looking freighter, which hissed and clicked as its systems cooled down from its descent.

At the base of the ramp stood Lord Vader, completely motionless but for the hem of his cloak, which shifted around his feet in the slight breeze blowing across the green meadow outside the mausoleum. Around him stood the red-robed Royal Guards, their pikes held ready in preparation for any Rebel trickery.

In addition, Tyraj saw, his sister Malysa stood at the Emperor's side. She was never far from Lord Vader these days; it seemed that every time Tyraj saw the Emperor, his sister was not far behind. Her posture was stiff and formal; there was not a hair out of place or a wrinkle in her robes to be seen, and her lightsaber gleamed at her side.

With a hiss and rattle, the docking ramp of the Corellian freighter slowly lowered, and down it strode three of the most wanted fugitives in the Empire.

His expression placid, Luke Skywalker stopped in front of Darth Vader and calmly looked him in the eye, gesturing to Leia Organa and Han Solo. "On behalf of the Alliance to Restore the Republic," he said formally, "we come to negotiate a cease-fire between our forces and those of the Empire."

Organa looked up at the Emperor resolutely, while Solo seemed nervous but trying to hide it. Tyraj had been in the freezing chamber at Bespin; he knew that all three of these people had good reason to be afraid.

TK-421 noticed the Emperor's back stiffen when a fourth person, a young woman in form-fitting dark clothes with red-gold hair, descended the ramp. She met his gaze coolly, one hand resting on her hip next to the hilt of a lightsaber.

Tyraj's eyes narrowed within his helmet, and his fingers tightened their grip on his blaster rifle. Tyraj did not know the young woman's name, but he did know that she was a traitor; he had seen her in an Imperial uniform at Bespin, and had heard from some of his fellow stormtroopers how she had stolen Solo's frozen body and delivered it to his friends, aiding them in their escape.

But instead of a cutting remark or a pronouncement of capture, as TK-421 had been expecting, Lord Vader simply said, "Follow me," and turned to walk back to the mausoleum.

He kept his posture perfectly straight, but Tyraj felt like reeling in shock; what was going on here?

* * *

Ysanne Isard scowled at the Sith woman's back as their turbolift ascended the central tower of the Sith Temple. The lizard-skin-clad young woman - who had not deigned to tell Isard her name - had come arrogantly marching into Imperial Intelligence Headquarters and had the sheer gall to demand that Isard accompany her back to the Temple. And, to top off the indignity of being summoned like a common servant, the young woman had dragged Isard out from behind her desk with the Force when she had objected.

The Director had been fuming the entire way here. If she hadn't been sure it would be fruitless, she would have drawn her hold-out blaster and shot the Sith woman in the head for this.

The muscular young woman gestured for Isard to precede her from the turbolift, and marched her briskly down the hall and up the stairs to the throne room, where, Isard noted with dark amusement, Darth Nova was sitting upon the throne that did not yet rightfully belong to him.

"What do you want?" Isard snapped at the young man.

Instantly, she felt a sharp pain in her legs as the Sith woman kicked her behind the knees. Isard felt a hand grab her by the hair, and she let out a curse when the Sith woman roughly slammed her forehead to the cold stone floor.

"You will show your Emperor the proper respect!" the Sith woman snarled in her ear.

If he deserved to sit on that throne, she would, Isard thought but was wise enough not to say.

"Let her up, Tamith Kai," Nova said, his voice tinged with dark amusement. No doubt he was delighted to see Isard humiliated like this.

The sharp pain in Isard's scalp lessened as the muscular young woman released her hair and stepped away. With as much dignity as she could manage, Ysanne got to her feet and smoothed the wrinkles in her uniform, then ran one gloved hand over her hair.

"It is time for you to execute the plans you have prepared so painstakingly, my dear Director," Nova said, smirking sardonically. Standing beside the throne, his crony's wine-dark lips quirked in an equally cruel smile.

Ysanne nodded once, not daring to speak lest she hurl curses at both Sith; her temper was so close to the boiling point that she literally trembled with the effort of keeping herself calm.

"Tell the elements of the Fleet you have gathered to go to the Naboo system," Nova ordered. "The _Lusankya_ will serve as my command ship."

Insult to injury; Nova was commandeering Isard's own personal Star Destroyer as his flagship. No doubt he had chosen her vessel specifically to anger her.

"Will there be anything else… sir?" Isard grated between clenched teeth.

She gasped as she felt a sudden, intense pressure around her throat, squeezing until black spots swarmed over her vision.

"You will address me as 'my lord' in the future," Darth Nova said with cruel calm.

He released his invisible grip on her, and it took every iota of Isard's willpower to remain on her feet and not collapse into a heap on the floor.

"Yes… my lord," she strained out, her voice rough.

Nova smirked, then bid her to leave with a dismissive wave of his hand.

When her messages were sent, Isard headed directly to her private training room to vent her rage on some unsuspecting sparring droids.

* * *

Leia gazed at the numerous depictions of her mother on the walls of Padmé's mausoleum as the four of them and Vader walked through the main hall. She looked at the holographs of her mother in her formal robes and gowns during her terms as Queen, along with more relaxed images taken among her family.

Leia paused by one when she realized that, judging by the timestamp in the lower corner, she herself was in the picture, though indirectly; the portrait, taken with Padmé's parents, her sister and her nieces, had been taken while Leia's mother was pregnant with her and Luke.

She noticed Han looking at a painted portrait that hung next to an image taken from the Battle of Geonosis. The portrait had been painted in tribute to Naboo's beloved former Queen after her death; in it, she was depicted with a kind of calm determination, a serene but durasteel-hard resolve conveyed by her expression, especially around the eyes.

Han glanced over at her and smiled. "Your mom was a real pretty lady," he said.

Leia smiled back. "Yes, she was."

Despite her feelings concerning her father, Leia was proud to have a woman like Padmé as her mother. Though she would always think of Breha and Bail Organa as her parents, she wondered what her life would have been like if she had grown up here on this peaceful, pastoral world among her mother's family.

"The artist made her too sad," Vader's unwelcome voice broke into her thoughts. "Your mother was always quick to smile; it was one of the things I loved about her."

Leia did not turn from the portrait, but she could see Vader's reflection in the glass. With his short, graying hair and beard, along with his mechanical eye, he was almost completely unrecognizable as the young man standing at her mother's side in the image from Geonosis.

He wasn't the same man, Leia thought to herself. Not anymore.

In the glass, Vader seemed stung by her stony silence. His face hardened, and he turned to march with too-loud footsteps to the end of the hall.

Leia paused for a moment to collect herself before she followed, ignoring the slightly reproving look Luke was directing at her. What right did he have? He hadn't felt the burn of Vader's Force Lightning, hadn't been there when the Dark Lord pronounced her family traitors to the Empire and made a show of imprisoning them in their own palace until he could execute them.

Luke hadn't been at Bespin, hadn't heard Han's screams as Vader sadistically tortured him for no reason other than sheer malice, then callously condemned him to a dangerous freezing procedure, indifferent to the outcome. Luke hadn't been there to see the look on Han's face as he tried to seem brave while he was slowly lowered into the pit.

When she entered the inner room, Leia paused, looking down into the transparisteel coffin that held her mother's silent body. Vader stood at the end like a great black specter; an angel of death come, not to give it, but to take it away. He looked up as she entered the tomb, silently meeting her eyes with his own, one natural and one mechanical.

Fitting, Leia thought; he was less than human within his soul as well as his body, more machine now than man.

"You know why I have asked you here," Vader said solemnly, looking first at Leia and then at Luke. "Through study of the Force, I have learned how to take away death, to make it a thing of the past. Life can be given," he continued, "and through the powers I now possess, sustained indefinitely. There is no need for anyone I love to die ever again."

"You are not capable of love," Leia spat. "I know what you are doing here and why, and I'll have no part of it."

Without another word, she turned on her heel and left the tomb, ignoring the protests of Vader and Luke. Her brother sent out a questing tendril of the Force, a mental hand held up to ask her to wait, but Leia angrily pushed it aside and kept going.

She sensed Han following after her, and once she was out in the main hall, she stopped next to one of the pictures of her mother and looked over at him. "Don't try to convince me to go back in there," she said warningly.

Han slipped a comforting arm around her shoulders. "I wouldn't think of it," he said, leaning over to kiss the top of her head. "I didn't particularly want to watch, myself. I think the dead should be left to rest in peace, no matter what Vader thinks he can do."

Leia brought her hand up to clasp his, and Han squeezed her fingers reassuringly in return.

"I love you," said Han.

Leia smiled, laying her head on his shoulder. "I know."

* * *

Luke could plainly see the hurt on his father's face as Leia left, followed by Han, but Vader set his features back into a grim mask once she was gone, turning to the coffin again.

Vader pulled the glove from his natural hand and reached over to touch the transparisteel above Padmé's face with his fingers. A great look of sorrow passed over his face then, and he took a deep breath. "I am ready to begin," he said. "I will start the procedure myself, and I will ask for your help when it is needed."

Luke looked over at Mara, and she met his gaze, but both her expression and her presence in the Force were inscrutable, giving no hint as to what she was thinking. She did, however, slip her hand into his and squeeze. Luke gave her a small smile, turning back to the coffin and his father.

He saw Vader looking at him, and his father's mismatched gaze went from him to Mara, a flicker of surprise passing across his face, followed by grudging acceptance.

Vader took one last breath, and then held out his hands. The transparisteel lid of Padmé's coffin slowly lifted free of its base and floated over to the wall, where it gently set down with barely a sound.

Luke looked down at his mother's face, amazed at how lifelike she looked. It appeared she was merely asleep, waiting to be awakened.

And that was what would happen, Luke thought; with his father's new powers, death was now no more of a foe than sleep. He shifted, pushing away his impatience. Finally, after an entire lifetime of wondering who she was and what she was like, today Luke would meet his mother.

Vader spread his arms, holding his hands above his wife's body, and Luke felt a deep, rumbling thrum echo through the Force, a massive build-up of power swirling like a hurricane with his father in the eye.

Luke closed his eyes, viewing the scene through the Force instead. He saw before him his father standing in a maelstrom of light, a nexus of unbelievably powerful energy that flowed around him and through the body of the woman before him.

As Luke watched, the light swirled through the body of his mother, penetrating each cell to repair and renew it.

A spark! A flicker of life, where there had been none but a moment earlier.

But, it was not enough. Even as Luke watched, the light dimmed within his mother and began to flow away.

Before Vader could ask for his help, Luke opened his own mind and poured the floodwaters of his own power into his father, doubling the energy that had been available. He sensed power flowing into him, and realized Mara was providing her own support, adding her strength to his.

Luke sent out a light touch of the Force to his sister, asking for her help, as well, but she pushed him away again, withdrawing further into herself.

With the combined strength of Luke and Mara added to Vader's, the whirlpool of light spun faster and faster, rushing like a cleansing tide through the body of Luke's mother. He sensed the energy building and building, reaching its apex, and he opened his eyes.

Before him, his mother gasped in a deep breath, sat up, and opened her eyes.

* * *

-/\\-


	31. III,3: Resurrection

-/\\-

* * *

**Three**  
(Resurrection)

Admiral Piett paced the command walkway in the bridge of the Super Star Destroyer _Executor_, his hands clasped behind his back. There had been no word from the Emperor in hours, since he had allowed the _Millennium Falcon_ to land unharmed.

Piett had no idea what was happening down there, and this was making him increasingly anxious.

In contrast, Grand Admiral Thrawn stood perfectly still, perusing a report on a datapad at the rear of the bridge. "Lord Vader will contact us when he is ready, Admiral," he said without looking up. "The procedure may take several hours."

Piett stopped and looked back at his commanding officer. "What procedure, sir?" he asked. "Do you know what they're doing down there?"

Thrawn looked up at him across the bridge. "Patience, Admiral," he said. Frustratingly, he did not elaborate.

Piett sighed to himself. He walked over to the starboard crew pit and ordered, "Run a diagnostic on the shield generators. Something about this whole situation makes me uneasy, and I want to be ready for any surprises."

"Yes, sir," said one of the technicians, turning to his workstation.

Piett sighed again, resuming his pacing.

* * *

Luke watched in astonishment as his mother took her first breath in twenty-three years, sat up, and opened her eyes. Beside him, Mara's hand tightened on his as he felt her surprise through the Force.

Vader's expression could only be described as pure joy; in that moment he seemed to allow a glimmer of his old self through, and become Anakin Skywalker again for a moment at least.

Padmé's dark brown eyes went to his face, and she peered at him curiously for a long moment, as if she did not know who he was. She reached out a hand to touch his face, and suddenly a flicker of recognition spread across her features.

"Anakin?"

Luke saw an actual tear slowly descend his father's cheek, vanishing into his graying whiskers. Anakin brought up his left hand to clasp Padmé's, smiling.

"Yes," he said. "It's me."

"You look so different," Padmé said, running her eyes over his short hair, his dark uniform, the glowing blue prosthetic that had taken the place of his right eye. "What's happened to you?"

Anakin took a deep breath, opened his mouth to reply, but closed it again, unable to think of what to say. "I…" he began, but trailed off, staring at her in wonderment. "I… I hoped it would work, but I almost didn't believe it would."

"Would what work?" Padmé asked. She gasped before Anakin could reply, and sank back a little, her eyes fluttering, but he caught her.

"Padmé?" Anakin said, alarmed. "Are you all right?"

She reached up with one hand to touch her fingertips to her forehead. "I feel… I feel very… strange," she said. "I don't quite know how to describe it."

"Do you sense anything wrong, Luke?" his father asked him, looking over at him.

Luke approached, reaching out with the Force. "No," he said. "She seems to be all right." He traded a delighted glance with his father. "I think it worked!"

"Luke?" Padmé said curiously. She reached out a hand to touch his arm, and as she looked into his eyes, he saw a startled flash of recognition there. "You're…" she breathed. "But you can't be!"

"It's been more than twenty years, Padmé," said Anakin. "You've been… asleep… for a very long time."

Luke saw tears brimming in his mother's eyes, and she reached out and folded him into an embrace, warm and _alive_. Her hand came up to stroke his hair. "Oh, Luke!" she said. She pulled back, looking up at him with tears of joy brimming in her eyes. "Oh, look how grown-up you are! You look so handsome."

Luke felt tears of his own well up, and his breath caught in his throat. He could think of nothing to say, nothing that seemed right in the face of a miracle like this.

Padmé turned, looking behind him, and he saw another delighted smile light up her face. Luke turned to see his sister standing in the entryway of the inner chamber, looking in with an astonished expression.

"It actually worked," Leia said, amazed. "I didn't think you'd really be able to do it."

"Leia?" their mother said, looking back at her with an equally amazed expression.

Leia rushed forward as Padmé swung her legs down over the base of the pedestal that had supported her coffin, and embraced her mother, tears of joy brimming in her own dark eyes. "I can't believe this!" Leia exclaimed. "It's really you!"

As they pulled back, Padmé looked at her daughter curiously. "What do you mean?" she asked.

"You were… dead," Leia said. "I didn't think I'd ever be able to talk to you."

Surprise spread over Padmé's face. "Dead?"

Suddenly, the surprise turned to thoughtfulness, as if she was trying to remember something, and then horror - pure, terrified horror came over her face. She recoiled away from Anakin, pulling Luke and Leia back with her.

"I remember!" she exclaimed. "I remember," she said, barely above a whisper. "I remember what Obi-Wan told me, what he said and…" She trailed off, bringing up a hand to point at her husband. "And what _you did_. You tried to kill me!"

"No!" Anakin exclaimed, pained. "I love you!"

"Liar!" Padmé shouted at him. "You tried to kill me - and our children. You're a _monster!_"

"Padmé, please," Anakin pleaded, reaching out a hand for her, but she backed away again.

"I remember what Obi-Wan said. He told me _you_ were the one who attacked the Jedi Temple, and that you killed children. _Children_, Anakin! How could you?"

"It was all to save you!" Anakin snapped, rage flaring up within him. "That was all I ever wanted, was to save you!"

"No," Padmé said. "The Anakin I knew would never murder children, not even to save a single life. Obi-Wan was right; you have fallen. You're a… a Sith!"

Luke looked back at his father, who stiffened, cold fury hardening his expression, fists clenched at his sides as he visibly struggled to keep himself under control.

"I don't know what happened to you," Padmé said, "but you are not the man I loved. Not anymore."

"Perhaps not," said Darth Vader, his voice deadly calm.

Luke took a step toward him, trying to find a way to salvage the situation, but Vader spoke again before he could say anything.

"Leia," he said tersely, "take your mother back to your fleet and have her checked out by your doctors. I will return to the _Executor._"

Before Leia could reply or Padmé could say anything, Vader turned and marched out of the tomb, his hands clenched so tightly that his leather gloves creaked.

Luke hurried after him, Mara a step behind. "Father," Luke began.

But Vader said nothing, only continued on his way out through the main hall of the mausoleum. Malysa Kolos looked up from where she had been standing next to the entrance with the Royal Guards, but Vader continued on past her without a word. She fell into step behind him, glancing over at Luke, who followed.

"Father, I'm going with you," Luke said, reaching out to touch Vader's arm.

Vader stopped and turned toward Luke so swiftly that it startled him. "What do you want?" Vader said, obviously still fighting to keep himself under control.

"Father, the Alliance fleet is here," Luke said.

Vader said nothing, continuing to stare back at him coldly.

"I still want to negotiate the cease-fire," Luke went on. "I want this war to end as much as you do."

"Do you?" Vader said acidly.

Luke met his father's gaze resolutely. "Yes," he replied. "We can have peace, Father. No one else has to die."

Vader drew himself up to his full height, looking down at his son for a long moment. "Very well," he said shortly. "Come with me."

As he marched down the steps of the mausoleum and across the grassy field, black cloak flaring out behind him, Luke followed along with Mara and Malysa.

_I'm worried about him_, Luke sent through the Force to Mara.

_He's always scariest when he gets quiet like this_, she agreed. _T__read lightly, but stay with him. He's trying to hide it, but I can tell he's hurting._

Ahead of them, Vader stormed up the ramp of his shuttle, and they hurried to catch up.

* * *

Once Leia and her mother were aboard the _Falcon_, Han went up to the cockpit while Chewbacca finished up a repair he had been making to the dorsal blaster turret while he had been waiting. Leia went back to the main hold with her mother and sat down behind the holographic gameboard.

"I was really… dead?" Padmé said as Leia approached, looking up at her.

She slid in beside her mother, looking over at her. "Yes," she said. "Master Yoda said you died after you gave birth to Luke and me. Master Kenobi had Bail Organa put you in suspended animation so they could send you back to your family on Naboo. They put you in the mausoleum, and you've been there ever since."

"I remember," Padmé said. "Obi-Wan was there when you were born." She stared down at her hands. "That seems like only a few minutes ago to me. The last thing I remember is…" She trailed off, falling silent for a moment before continuing. "Telling Obi-Wan that there was still good in your father," she said quietly.

She sighed, propping her elbows on the table. "I wish I hadn't shouted at him," she said. "But I felt so… confused. Things were coming back to me, and I remembered him choking me on Mustafar. It was all such a… jumble."

"He's done many evil things," Leia said quietly. "He killed Palpatine and took over the Empire, and he's been ruling it ever since."

Padmé sighed, closing her eyes. "So he's only fallen further." She looked over at Leia. "It's really been twenty years?"

"Twenty-three." Leia looked down at the table again. "Twenty-three of the darkest years this galaxy has known in a long time."

"So… Anakin really brought me back to life with the Force," Padmé said, looking back down at her hand.

"No, Darth Vader brought you back. Anakin is dead," Leia said, more vehemently than she meant. When her mother looked up at her, startled by the sharpness in her voice, Leia's expression softened.

She reached over to touch her mother's hand. "I'm sorry," she said. "I know he wasn't always like he is now, but it's hard for me to accept that. He's done so many horrible things to me and the people I love that I don't think I can ever forgive him."

Padmé nodded slowly. "Before we went to Mustafar, Obi-Wan told me about some of the things Anakin had done. He said that he…" Padmé paused to take a breath, visibly upset. "Anakin killed dozens of Jedi at the Temple when he and the army attacked it. Obi-Wan said that he saw a security hologram of Anakin killing… children. I didn't want to believe it, but when I saw him on Mustafar, I…" She looked up at Leia, and her eyes were wet. "He was… different. He wasn't… he wasn't Anakin anymore. He was Vader then, lost in the Dark Side."

"He's only gotten worse from there," Leia said. "Luke says that he thinks there's still good in him, but I don't see it."

Padmé looked back down at her hands. "There must be," she said quietly. "Why else would he bring me back? I saw it in his eyes, when I woke up and he was there next to me. He still loves me."

Leia did not reply, thinking about this to herself. Both of them were quiet for a moment, but finally Padmé looked up at Leia and smiled, changing the subject.

"I can't believe how grown-up you and your brother are. The last time I saw you, you were…" She smiled again. "And now you're ready to start a family of your own."

Leia blushed, embarrassed. "Well, I…"

Padmé laughed lightly. "I see the way you look at Han. He seems like a good man, Leia. I'm proud of you." She squeezed her daughter's hand. "Now, tell me about your life. I've missed out on all of it, and I want to get to know you better."

And so, as the _Millennium Falcon_ left Naboo, headed back to the gathered Rebel fleet, Leia told her mother about her life, her triumphs and her disappointments, happiness and tragedy. As they talked, Leia realized how similar her life had been to her mother's, and how much she herself was like this remarkable woman.

* * *

Malysa Kolos sat in one of the chairs in her quarters, staring down at the small scrap of flimsiplast Mara Jade had surreptitiously slipped into the pocket of her outer robe as they were leaving Lord Vader's shuttle.

It simply read, '_If Vader does not announce a cease-fire, disable the long-range comm array.'_

This was it, then. After four years of secrets, lies, and constant fear of discovery and death, her mission was almost over. The Rebels were finally ready to strike.

Malysa took off her black outer robe and tossed it over the chair. Crossing to her bedroom, she retrieved her lightsaber's original azure crystal from its hiding place and stared into its facets, as she often did when her thoughts were troubled. It helped to calm her nerves, to remind her that despite the image she projected to everyone else, she was still truly a Jedi; a guardian of peace and justice, not an agent of tyranny and violence like the rest of the Sith.

To maintain her cover, Malysa had been forced to do things that would haunt her for the rest of her life. The mission, she had to keep reminding herself; the mission was too important. The Rebellion _needed_ a double agent placed close to the Emperor. Her unique situation was too valuable to the cause for her to be caught, and so, for the last four years, she had put up a convincing show of being just as immersed in the Dark Side as all the rest of the Sith Master's students.

It was, in an odd way, rather like what Mara Jade had been through; she had started as an agent of the Empire, and for three years, no one in the Rebellion suspected her identity. But then, at Bespin, all that had changed. She saw what was wrong with the Empire, and became a Rebel in truth.

In the beginning, Malysa had constantly feared that the dark reverse would happen to her, that she would come to believe her own cover story and fall to the Dark Side just to be rid of the constant tension. But though at times she thought she was alone on this ship, she was not; she still had her Jedi teacher, the constant, reassuring presence in the back of her mind that let her know that what she was doing was right. She may have been forced to do some evil things, but on the whole, her time here had done enough good to balance out the scales of justice.

Malysa held up her azure crystal against the velvety blackness outside the viewport, thinking of the friends she had lost, the life she had had to leave behind. Her parents on Kuat had had no word from her in years, ever since her first Jedi Master and her fellow student had had to go deeper into hiding to avoid the encroaching black fist of the Empire. Her brother Tyraj was a stormtrooper, she knew, but she did not know where he was assigned. For all she knew, he could have been killed in battle years ago.

If Darth Vader did not announce the cease-fire, and decided to take Luke and Mara prisoner instead, Malysa knew she was their only hope for escape. For her years of supposedly loyal service, Lord Vader had recently presented her with her own shuttle - complete with a hyperdrive - with which to carry out his secretive missions. When Mara had defected, much of the burden of her former duties had shifted to Malysa and several other agents she knew of, scattered around the Empire.

Malysa began to make her plans. She had lived aboard the _Executor_ for the last four years, and despite its massive size, she no longer needed a map. Once the long-range transmitter was disabled, it would not take long for someone to notice and raise the alert. Malysa estimated that she might have perhaps twenty minutes from the time she sabotaged the array to collect Luke and Mara, then get down to the hangar deck where she kept her shuttle and flee the ship. It might be possible, she thought, though extremely difficult.

But she would succeed. She had to.

* * *

_Home One_ was in an uproar when the _Millennium Falcon_ touched down in its accustomed berth in the hangar bay. Han, Leia, and Padmé quickly went up to the bridge to see what was happening.

When they arrived, Han looked around at the gathered Rebel leaders to find them all staring incredulously at the main screen, where Darth Vader and Luke Skywalker stood side by side, announcing the cease-fire between the Empire and the Rebellion.

"Luke said all the right code phrases," Garm Bel Iblis was saying to Admiral Ackbar as Han approached. "He's not under duress; this is real."

"The war is over?" Bail Organa exclaimed in shock.

"The _fighting_ is over, for now," said Mon Mothma, standing next to him. "We have yet to see if the Emperor will make good on his promise to open negotiations. He may simply arrest us all when we arrive."

Han snorted. "I wouldn't put it past him."

The Rebel leaders turned to face him, and almost simultaneously their expressions shifted into varying degrees of surprise. Han was about to halfheartedly apologize for speaking out of turn when he realized they were staring, not at him, but at Leia's mother behind him.

Now their reactions made perfect sense; Han himself had done something similar when a dead woman walked out of her own tomb, talking to her daughter.

"Padmé?" exclaimed Mom Mothma. The shock had disrupted even her legendary unflappable composure.

"Yes, it really is me," Padmé said, approaching. "I can hardly believe it myself."

"I thought you were dead!" said Bail Organa. "No, I _know_ you were dead."

"Anakin brought me back to life with the Force somehow," Padmé said. "My son helped him."

"But how is such a thing even possible?" inquired Ackbar. "You have been dead for decades!"

"I would like to know as much as you, believe me," said Padmé, looking around the bridge at the leaders of the Rebellion. "But now is not the time. We need to secure peace between the Alliance and the Empire while we still can. Anakin is more receptive to the idea right now than he ever would have been before, and we need to take advantage of this."

She drew herself up, and Han saw echoes of Leia in her stance; now he knew where she got it from. "I request to join the diplomatic team. I may not be familiar with current events, but I know I can be a calming influence on Anakin. If I show my support for this, he is more likely to agree."

Mon Mothma nodded. "Of course. We will begin the preparations at once."

* * *

After that, the rest of the day seemed to pass in a blur for Han as he and Leia raced about the Alliance flagship, conferring and preparing and a hundred other -ings. Han himself could scarcely believe it, but it seemed like these negotiations were really going to happen. He had been expecting a fight, but most of Han's expectations for what would happen today had been proved completely wrong, so he didn't know what to think anymore.

Finally, during a break in the whirlwind of activity, Han was approached by Garm Bel Iblis, who asked to speak to him privately.

"I don't trust the Emperor's intentions here," Bel Iblis said once they entered an unused conference room. "This whole situation is going entirely too well."

"I agree," Han replied. "I keep expecting the trap to spring any minute."

"Well, in case it does," said Bel Iblis, "I and some of the other officers have agreed to keep the fleet on high alert during the negotiations. The original plan still stands, as far as I'm concerned; at the first sign of treachery, we engage the _Executor_."

Han nodded. "I'm with you."

Bel Iblis smiled grimly. "Good." He turned to look out of the viewport at the rest of the fleet, arrayed around the flagship on the outskirts of the system. "Vader has agreed to hold the negotiations in neutral territory, in the Royal Palace on Naboo. _Home One_ and _Executor_ will hold position above the planet, but we're going to keep the rest of the fleet just beyond the orbit of the furthest moon, where we can come to the rescue if Thrawn tries anything. He's promised not to summon any additional Imperial ships, but I haven't stayed alive as long as I have by trusting Imperial promises."

Han smirked. "Hey, same here." He patted the blaster at his side. "I'm going to be staying with Leia the whole time to make sure Vader doesn't try anything on the ground."

Bel Iblis reached out to clap him on the shoulder. "Good," he said. "Maybe we have the incredible luck for this to be real, but in case it all goes wrong, we're ready."

* * *

Alone in his quarters aboard the _Executor_, Darth Vader sat in his chair and stared at his wall full of lightsabers, as he often did.

How had it all gone so wrong?

He had brought Padmé back to life, but she had recoiled from him, calling him _monster._

Monster.

Perhaps he was a monster, he thought. Perhaps he _had_ done too much to ever be forgiven. He had thought that he had been working for more than twenty years to finally bring peace to a troubled galaxy that had seen too much of war. Again and again, he had raged to himself and to his officers that the Rebellion was pointless; why bring more war upon a galaxy that had still not recovered from the last one?

But, perhaps he could still salvage the situation. Thrawn was right; the Far Outsiders were coming, and when they arrived, they would sweep like a plague across this galaxy if it wasn't ready. They needed to present a strong, unified front against the invaders. If the worlds of this galaxy were still squabbling amongst themselves when the Far Outsiders finally arrived, they would be overrun, and a permanent shroud of darkness would descend upon them all.

Vader stood and left his quarters, headed for the hangar deck. When he summoned the turbolift, he found young Kolos inside, scrolling through a datapad. She inclined her head respectfully as the Sith Master entered, and after a few moments, turned to him.

"We are really going to pursue peace with the Rebellion?" she asked. He sensed a hopeful note hidden in her tone.

Vader turned to look down at her. "Yes."

Kolos was quiet for a moment. "The war with the Far Outsiders' advance force isn't going well, is it?"

"It is not," Vader replied. "Any political problems must be set aside in the face of an overwhelming military threat. Fighting amongst ourselves accomplishes nothing."

The young woman did not reply, but Vader sensed quiet approval within her mind. He mused to himself that she had taken his lessons well; he did not sense the Dark Side in dominance within her. She was still balanced enough to remain reasonable.

Malysa Kolos would make a more fitting Sith Apprentice, Vader thought. Nova had become increasingly unreliable lately, disappearing for weeks on end on missions of his own devising. Even when Vader did manage to talk to him, he sensed the Dark Side roiling within his apprentice, far beyond the limits he should have allowed.

Worst of all, Nova had ignored his call. The main reason Vader had selected Nova as his Sith Apprentice was because of the sheer power the young man could command, potential on a level with Vader's own. He had known he would need power in order to accomplish the procedure, strength beyond his own in order to bring Padmé back to life.

One Force-user on the level of the Skywalkers and Darth Nova was worth a dozen, a hundred others. Vader had hoped that together he and his Sith Apprentice would work to bring his wife back, but Nova had not come.

Without Luke, Vader knew, he would have failed, and there would have been no chance for a second try.

But she had rejected him anyway, even after all the sacrifices he had made, all he had done so that he could finally have her back. She had called him _monster_ and left him.

As the turbolift slowed to a stop, Vader angrily pushed these thoughts from his mind.

"My lord?" Kolos inquired concernedly. "Are you all right?"

"Let's just get this over with," Vader replied, striding from the turbolift.

* * *

Mara stood next to Luke in a long conference room with a soaring vaulted ceiling, watching the door at the far end. She could sense her former master approaching, his presence in the Force turbulent and troubled. He was hurt and angry, but trying fiercely to keep himself under control.

The large door whisked open, and Mara noted that almost everyone in the room tensed as the most feared man in the galaxy strode inside, his black cloak sweeping out behind him dramatically as he crossed to the table at which sat most of the Alliance leadership.

Even Mara half expected him to draw his lightsaber and massacre the lot of them right there, or at least pronounce that they were all under arrest, but instead he remained calm as he pulled out one of the chairs and sat down, accompanied by Malysa Kolos, who was acting as his aide.

Mara let out a breath she hadn't realized she was holding, glancing over at Luke, who had a small, approving smile on his face.

"I will begin by officially informing you of my orders to the Imperial military to cease hostilities against your forces throughout the galaxy," Vader said, looking across the table at the Alliance delegation. His eyes stayed on Padmé a fraction of a second longer than the others, but he said nothing to her.

"We will order our forces to stand down, as well," Mon Mothma replied, gesturing slightly with one hand to include Bail Organa, Admiral Ackbar, and the others in her statement.

Again, Vader glanced at his wife before continuing. Mara noted that Padmé's face was a vaguely pleasant but inscrutable mask, a practiced politician's expression designed to avoid giving anything away. Through the Force, however, Mara could sense that Luke's mother was just troubled as her estranged husband, watching him closely to see if she could tell what he was really thinking.

Their situation was one Mara still found odd; from Padmé's perspective, she had only the day before seen the man she loved turn into someone she did not know, a Sith Lord and creature of the Dark Side, and now was trying to understand a world that was twenty-three years beyond the one with which she was familiar. From Vader's perspective, he had been parted from the woman he loved for decades, had gone to unbelievable lengths to get her back, only to have her reject him. And now he had to move on, to move past his grief and hurt to accomplish the other goals toward which he had been working for half a lifetime.

Having known him her entire life, Mara was impressed that Vader could sit here and talk civilly with his greatest enemies; his control over himself was much greater than she had supposed.

"I see no reason not to immediately open negotiations for a more permanent truce," Vader said, glancing over at Malysa, who handed him one of the datapads in front of her. "I am willing to grant your movement a small section of territory in which to set up your own government, the borders of which will be decided at a later date."

"Thank you, Lord Vader," said Mon Mothma. She was about to continue, but Vader interrupted.

"However," he said, raising a hand to point at the Alliance delegation with one gloved finger, "there are terms. I will not relinquish my position as leader of the Imperial military, nor will I decrease the size of my forces. The Alliance will remain within its territory and will cease activity within the borders of the Empire. Once treaty negotiations are concluded, no further agitation of my subjects will be tolerated."

Mara inwardly winced. _Not the best start to peace talks_, she sent to Luke.

His expression also did not change, but he was having the same reaction. _No,_ he replied. _But at least he's trying._

* * *

On Coruscant, Sate Pestage stared at the dispatch like it was a serpent about to plunge its fangs into his hand.

"_Cease-fire?!_" he said incredulously. "What is he thinking?"

But his empty office had no answer.

On the one hand, any end to this horridly expensive war was of course excellent news, but if it was _Vader_ who initiated negotiations, after years of the Senate decrying his brutal methods, public opinion would sway back in his favor.

And Sate just couldn't have that. He had worked too hard to quietly vilify Vader among the politicians, to seem the reasonable one holding the homicidal Emperor in check, for all that work to be undone by Vader suddenly deciding to use something other than violence to solve his problems.

He would have to move quickly.

Luckily, Nova was marshaling Isard's supporters among the military to go and attack Vader at Naboo. If the universe had any sense of justice, the two Sith Lords would destroy each other, leaving the throne empty for Sate to ascend it.

But for now, he would just have to wait and observe, to see what happened so that he could plan his next move.

* * *

Leia leaned back in one of the plush, comfortable chairs in her guest quarters in the Royal Palace on Naboo, her fingers on her temples in a vain attempt to massage away her growing headache.

"I suppose we should count ourselves lucky that Vader is actually willing to negotiate," she said to Han, who flopped onto a couch next to her, just as tired as she was.

"If you can call it that," Han scoffed. "Not exactly one for diplomatic niceties, is he?"

Leia gave him a tired, wry smile. "In other breaking news, Wookiees are hairy and Hutts have an over-developed sense of entitlement."

Han chuckled, reaching over to pat her hand.

Leia gave a light laugh, herself, before her smile slowly faded. "It's a miracle we're actually getting anywhere with him; I think he's only negotiating because my mother's there."

Han nodded in agreement. "What's a miracle is that he didn't blow the Alliance leaders out of the sky when they came in for a landing." He shrugged. "Still, progress is progress, I suppose."

The comm mounted on one wall of Leia's quarters flared to life suddenly, displaying the face of her brother, his expression troubled. "_Han, Leia, you'd better come to the conference room_."

"What's going on?" Han said, sitting up.

"_An Imperial fleet just arrived in the system_," Luke replied. "_A big one._"

* * *

-/\\-


	32. III,4: The Enemy of my Enemy

-/\\-

* * *

**Four**  
(The Enemy Of My Enemy)

"Communication from the Alliance flagship, sir," the _Executor_'s comm officer announced.

"Put it through," said Piett.

A life-size hologram of Admiral Ackbar appeared a few steps away from Piett on the command walkway. "_What is the meaning of this?_" the alien demanded indignantly.

Grand Admiral Thrawn approached, stopping next to Piett. "Is there a problem, Admiral?" he asked.

"_An Imperial battle group just dropped out of hyperspace on the edge of the system!_" Ackbar exclaimed. "_My sensor officers count over fifty ships, including at least one Super Star Destroyer! Why have you summoned additional battleships?"_

Thrawn's blue-black brows drew together. "We have called for no reinforcements, Admiral," he said. "We are just as committed to this conference as you."

Ackbar's image turned to the side as information was relayed to him on his own bridge. "_Our patrol craft are being fired upon!_" He turned back to Piett and Thrawn. "_Imperial treachery! You have violated the cease-fire!"_ He half-turned to shout orders. "_All craft, battle formations! Prepare to engage the _Executor_!_"

Thrawn took a step forward. "Admiral!"

But Ackbar cut the transmission.

"Did we summon reinforcements, sir?" Piett asked.

"No," said Thrawn, his eyes narrowing as he crossed to the tactical display screen. "Those ships are not acting on my orders."

Piett joined him, studying the sensor profiles of the incoming Imperial ships as they were relayed in by the outer-system sensor drones. He raised a hand to point at the largest vessel. "That's Director Isard's personal ship, the _Lusankya_," Piett said.

Thrawn swiftly turned to the crew pit. "Are the incoming ships making any transmissions to the Rebels?" he asked.

"Yes, sir," the comm officer reported. "Patching it through."

The tactical display screen switched over to display the transmission. "_This is Darth Nova,_" the dark-haired young man on screen declared. "_If your ships do not stand down and deactivate their weapons systems immediately, my fleet will destroy you."_

The screen split, half of it displaying the face of Admiral Ackbar. "_We are here under a declaration of cease-fire by the Emperor himself for diplomatic negotiations. Your request is in violation of the Emperor's declaration."_

Darth Nova smirked sardonically. "_I am afraid you are mistaken,_" he replied. "_Lord Vader's declaration is no longer valid. He has been removed as Emperor for dereliction of his duties."_ He leaned closer, displaying his teeth in a fierce grin._ "I am the Emperor now._"

Piett turned wide eyes upon his commanding officer. "What's going on here?"

Thrawn's eyes narrowed dangerously. "A mutiny, Admiral," he said, genuine anger in his voice.

The Grand Admiral did not hesitate for even a moment before issuing his next orders. "Inform Lord Vader of this, if he does not already know," he barked to the comm officer. He turned next to the tactical station. "Reprogram the computer; all Alliance vessels are to be re-designated as 'friendly' units, while every ship in the mutineers' fleet is to be immediately designated 'hostile'."

The tactical officer blinked in surprise, but quickly bent to his task.

"Sir?" Piett said in shock.

Thrawn pointed at the screen beside them, which had switched back to the tactical display. "Darth Nova is here to depose Lord Vader, Admiral," he said quickly. "His only intentions here can be assassination of the Emperor and destruction of this vessel. Therefore, the Rebel forces are the only defense we have in addition to the flagship. Signal Admiral Ackbar immediately to let him know that this attack is not sanctioned by either Lord Vader or myself, and that the _Executor_ will be joining the fight on their side."

"Shall we summon reinforcements, sir?" Piett asked.

Thrawn shook his head. "Unfortunately, Admiral, we do not know who we can trust among our own fleet right now. For Nova to gather a fleet of that size, he had to have been planning this for months at least. Besides, the nearest battle group is more than twelve hours away." He took a few steps along the command walkway. "For now at least, the Rebels are the only allies we have here."

"I never thought I'd hear that," Piett muttered to himself. Only when one corner of Thrawn's mouth quirked in a small, grim smile did he realize he'd said it out loud.

* * *

Luke could feel the fury rolling off of his father in waves as the news was relayed to the conference room, where the delegations from both sides had gathered. At his side, Malysa stared in shock at the screen, and even a few of the stormtroopers and Royal Guards, though their faces were hidden by their helmets, were obviously going through the same reaction.

The Alliance delegation was no less surprised; the room was completely silent as they watched Darth Nova demand the surrender of not only Admiral Ackbar and the Rebel fleet, but the _Executor_ as well.

A comm transmission came in, and Vader quickly ordered it to be let through. Grand Admiral Thrawn's face and the white shoulders of his uniform replaced Darth Nova and Ackbar on the screen.

"_My lord, the flagship is at battle readiness. I have taken the liberty of ordering Nova's ships designated 'hostile' in our tactical computers, and-"_

Vader cut him off with an impatient wave of his hand. "Yes, go!" he shouted. "Attack him!"

Mon Mothma spoke up from the other side of the table. "Grand Admiral, I will relay to our fleet that the _Executor_ is to be designated 'friendly' in our own computers."

"Never thought I'd hear that," Han muttered next to Luke.

On the screen, Thrawn nodded once and ended the transmission.

Vader's fists were clenched so tightly that Luke could hear the servomotors in his father's mechanical hand whining under the strain. His natural eye was turning a very odd color, a mottled combination of blue and yellow as his anger surged up within him, bringing the Dark Side with it.

"So what are we going to do?" Mara said to Luke.

Vader answered for him. "We will take the Corellian's freighter and blast our way aboard Nova's flagship, where I will kill him myself."

"Whoa, now!" Han objected. "You're not taking my ship anywhere without me!"

Vader turned a venomous look upon the smuggler. "I am not asking, Captain Solo," he said dangerously. "You _will_ take me to my apprentice."

Han took a step back from the sheer fury in the Sith Master's glare. "If you insist," he said.

Any further discussion was interrupted by the comm screen flaring to life again, this time displaying the face of Darth Nova, smiling arrogantly. "_The time has come, Lord Vader,_" he said triumphantly, "_for the Apprentice to overthrow the Master, as it has always been with the true Sith. If you surrender yourself to me, I will spare your crew, your children, and the people of this insignificant little world. If you refuse, I will ignite this system's sun into supernova and destroy you all."_

Luke sensed his father's rage flare up at this, accompanied by calculation as the Sith Master quickly formulated a new plan.

"Are you too much of a weakling to face me yourself?" Vader challenged, glaring up at the screen. "Are you so assured of your own inferiority that you must come here with overwhelming force?" Vader sneered. "For all your posturing, I can tell you still fear me!"

"_I do not fear you!_" Nova shouted, leaning closer. "_I merely assure my own victory, as a true Sith would!_"

"If you were a true Sith," Vader said derisively, "you would face me in single combat to prove which of us is worthy of the mantle of Sith Master, instead of launching this cowardly ambush."

Luke waited for a tense moment, seeing how Nova would respond.

"_Very well, old man!_" Nova snarled. "_I will descend to the surface and eradicate you myself!"_

"No," Vader replied. "Not here. I will not risk this world against your treachery."

"_Where, then? Aboard your ship?"_

"We will go to the world of Korriban," said Vader. "And there we will settle your challenge in the way of the ancient Sith Lords."

Nova grinned savagely. "_So be it!_" He raised a hand to point at Vader. "_I will have my personal ship accompany your shuttle there, to ensure that you do not flee._"

Vader said nothing in reply, and terminated the connection by forcibly overloading the transmitter with the Force. A number of stormtroopers and Alliance soldiers scrambled back away from the screen as it sprayed sparks in all directions. When Vader turned away from the pyrotechnic display, Luke saw that his natural eye was now entirely yellow, rimmed with red.

"Ready my shuttle!" Vader barked at one of his aides, who immediately rushed off to obey.

"I'm going with you," Luke said, moving towards his father.

Mara stepped up next to him. "And if he's going, so am I." Her tone left no room for argument.

"I will stand with you, as well, Lord Vader," said Malysa. Her dark eyes flicked to Luke's for just a moment, accompanied by a sense of reassurance through the Force; she was going along more to fight at _his_ side than his father's, Luke sensed.

"This will be a battle between Nova and myself," Vader warned. "Any outside interference is forbidden."

Mara snorted derisively. "He showed up here with fifty ships, planning to kill you from orbit," she said. "Do you really think Nova isn't going to bring a few friends of his own?"

One of the stormtroopers approached and saluted. "I also request to join your honor guard, Lord Vader," the man said, his voice filtered and rendered flat by his helmet.

Vader peered curiously at the man. "What is your designation, trooper?"

"TK-421, sir," the stormtrooper replied.

Vader's eyes flicked between the stormtrooper and Malysa, though it was so quick Luke almost didn't catch it. He wondered at the significance of this.

"Very well," the Sith Master replied.

Vader glanced at Leia, but did not ask if she wanted to go along as well. Leia looked back at him, and stirred as if she was about to say something, but Vader spoke first. "Stay here and keep your mother safe," he said. "Please," he added as a reluctant afterthought.

Leia nodded silently in reply.

Vader turned to head down to the hangar level. Luke saw him pause to glance once at Padmé, but he said nothing further before leaving the room.

She watched him go, looking like she wanted to call out after him, but she hesitated, and remained silent.

"You don't have to do this, kid," Han said, stepping half in front of him. "You oughta just let him go alone."

Luke shook his head. "I can't do that, Han," he said solemnly. "There is still good in him, and I know I can bring it out. If he fights Nova alone, he will only fall further into darkness. If I go along, there's still a chance I can save him."

"What if he's not _worth_ saving?" Bail Organa demanded exasperatedly.

Luke looked over at him. "Everyone is worth saving," he said seriously. "Even him."

With that, he turned and left the room, following his father.

* * *

Piett approached Thrawn at the tactical station. "Lord Vader and Nova have agreed on terms," he announced, relaying what he had just been told by the comm officer. "Both fleets will remain here while the two of them go to a world called Korriban for some sort of ritual combat."

"Korriban?" Thrawn said curiously. "That was the capital of the ancient Sith Empire. Has he asked us to dispatch any ships to go with him?"

Piett shook his head. "No. The terms are that only one shuttle each will go to Korriban, with no others but the observers accompanying them. Both fleets will remain here to await the outcome."

"Ritual combat," said Thrawn, his expression one of mild distaste. "How uncivilized."

Piett nodded in agreement. "Yes, sir." He paused. "There was one other thing in Lord Vader's communiqué, sir. He said to tell you that if he does not return, you are to take the _Executor_ to somewhere called 'Vanguard Base Alpha' and assume command of the operations there."

Piett almost didn't notice the nearly imperceptible tightening of Thrawn's face at this. "Were there any further instructions?" the Grand Admiral asked calmly.

"No, sir."

Thrawn nodded once. "Very well. Maintain full battle alert until further notice."

* * *

When Luke entered the Royal Palace's starship hangar, he found C-3PO and R2-D2 waiting for him next to Vader's massive gray shuttle. The grim Imperial ship seemed out of place here among the softer lines and colors of the Royal Palace's architecture, and was especially contrasted with the elegant silver ship parked on the other side of the hangar, the one belonging to the Queen.

"We wish to accompany you, Master Luke," said Threepio. "Well, Artoo does at least. I accessed the files on Korriban, and it sounds like a ghastly place. Are you certain you want to go there?"

Luke smiled at the droids. "Yes, Threepio, I'm sure," he said. "This is something I have to do."

Artoo twittered, and the golden protocol droid translated for his shorter, barrel-shaped companion. "Artoo says that he wishes to accompany his master," said Threepio. "Both of them." The taller droid turned to his squat counterpart. "What do you mean, 'both of them'?" he asked. "Mistress Leia certainly isn't coming with us. _She_ has the good sense to stay here where it's safe."

"Artoo may come," Darth Vader said from the top of his shuttle's ramp. "The protocol droid stays here."

Threepio took a step back, away from the Dark Lord. "Oh, my!" he exclaimed.

Vader merely glanced at Threepio for a moment before he turned his attention to his son. "Are you ready?" he asked.

"Yes, we are," said Mara, walking up beside Luke to look up at her former master.

Luke ran an amused eye over the array of weapons Mara was wearing and carrying. "We're observing a duel, Mara," he said, "not occupying the planet."

She cocked an eyebrow. "Sith Lords," she said in explanation, tapping a bandolier of thermal detonators. "Tell me I'm being too cautious."

Luke had to smile. "Yeah, you're right. Is it too late to ask Han if we can borrow one of the _Falcon_'s turrets?" he asked teasingly.

Mara grinned back. "If you think you can weld it on here fast enough, sure."

"If you two are finished," Malysa said with a smirk as she passed them on her way up the ramp, "we're ready to go."

Luke gestured up the ramp. "After you," he said.

Mara leaned over to give him a quick kiss on the cheek. "You're such a gentleman," she said, green eyes twinkling. Luke replied with an exaggeratedly formal bow as he followed her.

Artoo twittered amusedly as he trundled up the ramp after them.

"Please be careful!" Threepio called as the ramp began to raise.

The golden protocol droid seemed so forlorn as he watched them go that all trace of humor vanished from Luke's mind. He did not know what he would find on Korriban, or even if he would return from that place himself, but he knew he had to go along.

If his father fell in his duel with Nova, Luke privately resolved as he took his seat, he would himself engage the Starkiller. Darth Nova could not be allowed to leave Korriban alive, could not be allowed to seize control of the Empire, for even though Darth Vader was considered a tyrant, his Sith Apprentice would be far worse. Of that, Luke was sure.

As if she had sensed his thoughts, Mara reached over and touched his arm. He sensed a similar determination from her, a silent reassurance that she would fight by his side if it came to that.

* * *

In the cavernous hangar deck of _Lusankya_, Darth Nova stood in front of Director Isard to issue some last-minute instructions. He watched as Tamith Kai and more than thirty of his most loyal followers boarded the shuttle he was taking to Korriban. No matter what the outcome of the duel, Darth Vader was not leaving the ancient Sith world alive. Of that, Nova would make sure.

"Wait two hours after our shuttles have left the system," Nova said to Isard. "Then order the fleet to destroy the Rebels and the _Executor_. Raze the planet, as well."

"Are you certain it is wise to destroy Naboo?" Isard asked. "It will gain us nothing."

"It will gain us _fear_," Nova replied. "Fear of your wrath keeps those inferior to you submissive. I would think you already knew this, Madam Director." He turned back to watching his black-robed disciples board the vessel. "The people of this galaxy have become far too bold in speaking out against their rightful government. Perhaps an example will show them the error of their ways."

Isard nodded once. "Very well," she said.

Nova turned to face her again. "I am not taking _all_ of my followers," he said warningly. "The Sith remaining on this ship will see to it that my orders are carried out."

Isard narrowed her eyes, but said nothing, only inclining her head in acquiescence.

Aboard his shuttle, Nova sat back in his chair and smiled in satisfaction. After the events of today, he would be uncontested as Emperor, and the galaxy would be his to shape according to his own whims.

* * *

Rumors quickly filtered through the royal city of Theed that Padmé Naberrie, who had once ruled the planet as Queen Amidala and then later served it as a Senator, had been seen in the royal palace, having been returned to life by some mysterious Jedi ritual. As the rumors grew and spread, it was widely said that Luke Skywalker had been the one to do it, though no one had a clear explanation as to why. This of course only fueled speculation, which grew ever more wild and fanciful as the rumors spread.

After the short-lived negotiations between the Alliance and the Empire adjourned, the reigning Queen, Kylantha, asked to meet with the woman rumored to be one of her predecessors, in order to confirm or deny the rumors.

Leia and her mother met with the Queen in the throne room of the Royal Palace, where the tall, elegant woman was waiting. Kylantha's clothes were reserved and dark-colored, as a show of protest to the Empire's occupation of her world, and her long blonde hair was also styled conservatively, as opposed to some of the more colorful and ornate fashions sported by other Queens in the past.

As they walked along the wide, expansive hall, with its soaring ceilings and slender stone columns, Leia noticed that her mother seemed to be trying to see what had changed since she had last walked these halls herself.

"It doesn't seem all that different," she remarked to Leia.

"Emperor Skywalker has left Naboo undisturbed during his reign," Queen Kylantha said as the other two women approached. "Until his arrival, we had never seen Star Destroyers in our skies or soldiers in our streets." She looked for a long moment at Padmé. "Is it really you, Your Excellency?"

"I suppose I'm no longer a Senator," said Padmé. "There's no need for formal titles." She stopped next to one of the chairs in front of the throne. "Yes, I really am Padmé Amidala," she said. "I do not fully understand it myself, but I have been brought back to life with the Force."

The Queen was speechless for a long moment. Finally, she composed herself. "May I release a public statement?" she asked. "The people are very curious about the events in your mausoleum, and I would like to inform them of the truth, if they will believe it."

Padmé nodded once. "Of course. However, I would like to visit my family first, while I am here."

"Certainly," the Queen replied. "I believe your parents and your sister still live here, though your niece Pooja, who serves as our Senator, is currently off-world."

"Pooja's the Senator now?" Padmé said with a smile. "I'm very glad to hear that."

Leia watched her mother's expression, wondering to herself what it must be like to come back to the world after more than twenty years away from it. It must seem like an overwhelming change - though Leia knew Padmé had witnessed the birth of the Empire, and so would have known what was coming. What would the galaxy be like, Leia wondered, if her father had listened to her mother instead of to Palpatine? What would the galaxy be like if Anakin Skywalker had never fallen to the Dark Side, if he had instead left with his wife to raise his children?

What would the galaxy be like if her father had had more concern for others than for himself, as the Jedi were supposed to?

What would life have been like for her and Luke if they had grown up with their parents on a world like this?

Leia's thoughts and her mother's conversation with the Queen were interrupted by an aide who rushed into the throne room, out of breath.

"Your Highness!" the young man called. "The ships in orbit are firing at each other!"

Leia and Padmé jumped to their feet, followed immediately by the Queen.

"Troop transports are on their way down!" the aide went on. "The Imperials are landing dozens of ships all over the city!"

"Which ship did they launch from?" Padmé asked.

The young man stared at her in confusion. "Why does that matter?"

"Which ship?" Padmé repeated firmly.

"The other Super Star Destroyer," the aide replied. "The one that just arrived today, the _Lusankya_."

Padmé looked over at Leia, who looked back at her grimly. "It's an invasion," said Leia. "They're probably going to try and capture the Alliance leaders on the surface before they raze the city from orbit."

Queen Kylantha gasped. "Do you think they would really do such a thing?"

"Darth Vader might not have," Leia admitted, "but Darth Nova certainly will."

Padmé turned to the Queen. "This is very important," she said. "Tell the Security Force troops to carefully monitor any dropship landings. They must allow any vessels launched from the _Executor_ to land; Darth Vader's personal troops are on our side." At the Queen's incredulous look, Padmé went on. "The other Imperial ships that arrived are mutineers," she explained. "Vader's Sith Apprentice is trying to seize control of the Empire. For today at least, those aboard the flagship are our allies."

"Very well," said the Queen. "I will inform our troops, and I will also launch several squadrons of fighters to assist in the space battle." She turned to the aide. "Activate the planetary shields, as well."

The man rushed off to relay her orders.

Leia turned to leave, looking back at her mother. "We should get back to the others," she said. "If any Imperial troops make it to the surface, their first objective will be to destroy the shield generators. The Alliance troops can help in the defense."

Padmé nodded. "Let's go."

* * *

As Vader's shuttle hurtled through hyperspace toward Korriban, Luke passed the time by meditating, trying to center himself in the Force before visiting a planet so strong in the Dark Side. Korriban had been a Sith world for millennia, though it had been mostly abandoned and desolate for the last several centuries.

Once, when he emerged from meditation, he found Malysa sitting cross-legged on the floor across from him, methodically disassembling her lightsaber. He was about to ask her what she was doing when he saw her carefully remove the red crystal from its mountings inside her weapon and set it aside. In its place, she set an azure-blue gem, and once it was connected, she smiled in satisfaction.

Malysa looked up at him, and Luke felt a light touch against his mind through the Force, a request to 'speak privately' as only Jedi could. He accepted, meeting her eyes.

_When all this is over, I would like to go with you_, Malysa 'said' inside his mind. _You intend to rebuild the Jedi Order, don't you?_

_I do,_ Luke replied. _You are most welcome to join us._

_Thank you,_ she sent back. _You cannot imagine how much I want to get away from the Sith._

_I might have some perspective on that,_ Mara commented wryly, joining in.

Though her physical expression did not change, Malysa's sense in the Force shifted slightly into the mental equivalent of an ironic smile. _Perhaps you might._ She sobered. _What do you think we will find on Korriban?_ she asked.

_Evil_, Mara 'said' bluntly. _And plenty of it. Watch your step; the Sith left all kinds of nasty little surprises behind the last time they abandoned Korriban. Vader had me investigate the place once, and all I found were bones and empty tombs, but there was a… presence there, one that let me know in no uncertain terms that I wasn't welcome._

_What kind of presence?_ Luke asked.

_I'm not sure,_ Mara replied. _I didn't stick around long enough to find out._ _But regardless of whatever else is there, both of you should stay ready for a fight. This is supposed to be just between Vader and Nova, but I wouldn't be at all surprised if Nova has something else planned._

"We're coming up on the Horuset system," an Imperial trooper relayed back from the cockpit. "The pilot says we should be touching down on Korriban in two hours at the coordinates Lord Vader provided."

"Where's that?" asked Mara.

"A place called the Valley of the Dark Lords," the trooper replied.

Mara flicked a glance at Luke. "Well, doesn't that sound cheery?" she said dryly. "I'm starting to think we should have stayed on Naboo."

* * *

-/\\-


	33. III,5: Duel of the Fates

-/\\-

* * *

**Five**  
(Duel of the Fates)

"We definitely should have stayed on Naboo," Mara announced as she descended the ramp of the shuttle onto the red dirt of Korriban.

Luke looked up at the dark, overcast sky and the forbidding red-orange cliffs surrounding them on all sides, and he agreed. The dry, dusty ground crunched beneath his boots as he walked further into the valley, and he smelled a bitter, coppery tang in the air, like long-dried blood. The very air around them seemed drained of light, until only a dim twilight eternally shrouded the planet, washing out all colors in a reddish tinge.

His hand strayed to his lightsaber reflexively; the air was thick here despite its dryness, thick with a fog of malice and congealed hate. This was an evil place, and it abhorred the light. He felt the pull, the siren song of the Dark Side very strongly here, as if it had permeated the very ground itself from millennia of Sith occupation.

Glancing to the side, he noticed Mara's hand rested on her hip near her own lightsaber. Out of all the other weaponry she had brought aboard the shuttle, she had armed herself with only her Jedi weapon, along with four thermal detonators clipped to the back of her belt, but she had made sure to leave her arsenal only a step from the top of the ramp.

In front of the shuttle, the valley floor was mostly smooth, though there were a number of pillars from some long-destroyed structure, most fallen but a few stubbornly remaining upright. Above the entrances to the tombs were colossal statues, carved out of the cliff walls along the valley, but other than these there were no signs of civilization or habitation. Nothing alive had moved within this valley for a very long time.

However, that was all about to change today. Aside from Luke and Mara, six red-robed Royal Guards, their faces hidden by smooth, slit-visored helmets, assembled themselves outside the Emperor's shuttle, as well as a further honor guard of seven stormtroopers led by TK-421. Malysa moved to stand next to Luke and Mara, the slight breeze rippling her long black outer robe as it shifted the dust around her feet.

Last of all, Darth Vader descended the ramp, his blue mechanical eye glowing weirdly in the dim light as he looked back and forth across the Valley of the Dark Lords at the tombs of his ancient Sith predecessors.

At the far end of the valley, where the canyon wove its way back into a series of crumbling ruins, Darth Nova's shuttle sat black and silent. A large group of shadowed figures clustered around it, blurry and indistinct at this distance in the perpetual twilight.

Vader headed out across the valley floor toward his apprentice's group, several paces ahead of the rest of his own party, who followed, hands never far from their weapons.

A single dark figure broke off from the other group and approached, followed by the rest of them.

The two groups met in the center of the valley, among the fallen stone pillars. Vader and Nova kept walking forward until they stood only two paces apart, glaring at each other with equal measures of hate and anger.

As the two Sith Lords sized one another up in preparation for their confrontation, Luke looked at the large crowd of other Sith. All were young and all were human, none older than twenty-five, dressed almost identically in black robes that were dark echoes of what the Jedi had once worn. One tall, muscular young woman, however, wore a tight-fitting tunic of black-and-purple lizard skin with boots made of the same material, her long black hair bound up in braids to keep it out of her face.

Mara leaned over to him and murmured, "The Dathomiran is mine, if they attack; I know her from the Temple, and she's the biggest threat out of all of them besides Nova."

Luke silently counted the remaining Sith. "That leaves… twenty-nine for the rest of us. I don't know if I like those odds."

"Nobody ever said being a Jedi was easy," said Mara with a hint of a smile.

He replied with a tight smile of his own, one that was half dark humor and half determination.

"It's good that you brought your son here to witness your defeat," Nova said to Vader. "I'm going to enjoy breaking him after I kill you."

Vader said nothing, only fixing his treacherous apprentice with a stony glare. He silently drew his lightsaber and held it before him in both hands, though he did not yet ignite it.

"After I break your son," Nova continued, drawing his own lightsaber, "I'm going to bend your daughter to my will, as well. And then I will send your lovely wife back into her grave where she belongs, followed by everyone else on her planet."

The only response Vader made to Nova's taunts was to ignite his lightsaber, bathing his face in blood-red light.

Nova bared his teeth in a feral grin as he activated his own scarlet weapon and dropped into a ready stance. He paused for only a moment before he exploded into motion, whipping his lightsaber through a fast offensive pattern.

Vader met his advance calmly, shifting his own blade through an expertly executed defensive pattern that turned each strike aside. Whereas Nova leaped and spun, trying to overwhelm his teacher with sheer force and momentum, Vader exerted only a minimum of effort, remaining mostly still as he seemed to focus entirely on defense.

Luke watched this curiously, wondering what strategy his father was using here. Was he allowing the younger Sith Lord to expend all his energy in a furious attack at the beginning of the fight, saving his own energy for when he went on the offensive himself? Or did he have something else in mind?

Vader's reserve seemed only to enrage Nova further. "Fight back!" he shouted, savagely hacking at the Sith Master with his lightsaber.

But Vader only turned each strike aside, forcing his apprentice's blade away from himself without striking back. He seemed curiously detached, his expression a passive mask that revealed nothing of what thoughts worked beneath the surface.

Luke continued to watch the duel, perplexed. What was Vader doing?

* * *

"Our fighters have joined the Rebel squadrons, sir," Admiral Piett reported to Grand Admiral Thrawn. "Squadrons Three and Fifteen have taken up defensive position around the Alliance flagship, while Four and Twelve have taken position around the medical frigate. All other squadrons remain in position around the _Executor_."

Thrawn studied the tactical display beside him. "Our primary target should be the _Lusankya_," he said, indicating the other Super Star Destroyer. "Though it is not as heavily armed as the _Executor_, it poses the biggest threat out of all the ships in the mutineers' fleet."

Piett looked out of the bridge viewports at the storm of light raging outside. Never in his life would he have imagined that he would command the Emperor's flagship to fire upon other Imperial ships, or fight alongside people it had been his mission to destroy only days earlier.

"We're nearly in position, sir," one of the officers down in the starboard crew pit reported.

"All batteries fire at designated targets the moment we are in range," ordered Thrawn.

Piett watched as the mighty flagship settled into position and unleashed the awesome power of its weaponry. Every turbolaser emplacement on the _Executor_ opened fire simultaneously, a blinding rain of deadly light that surged out with all the force of a raging storm.

Moments later, nearly a dozen of the mutinous Imperial ships erupted with fire as the precisely aimed blasts impacted them in carefully calculated areas, exploiting weaknesses in the design and weak areas in the shields. Every one of the vessels was either destroyed or disabled; some drifted, venting atmosphere and gouts of flame from damaged systems, while others exploded spectacularly. The debris and shockwaves from the destroyed vessels damaged several more ships, which drifted out of control.

Thrawn calmly watched the carnage from his position next to the tactical display screen. "Move into position for the next fusillade," he ordered. "Target the _Lusankya_."

* * *

On the bridge of _Lusankya,_ Director Ysanne Isard watched in horror as nearly a dozen of the ships in her fleet were taken out of the fight in only a few seconds.

"How is that possible?" she demanded of Grand Admiral Natasia Vorlcan, the commander of her fleet.

"He knew exactly where to hit us," the older woman replied grimly, standing next to the tactical display screen. She pointed at the indicators for the disabled or destroyed ships. "Thrawn helped to design many of these classes," she said. "He knows which weaknesses to target."

"Then we need to get rid of him," Isard snapped. "Order all ships to concentrate fire on the _Executor_."

Grand Admiral Vorlcan pointed to the display screen. "The rest of our ships are engaged with the Rebels," she said. "If we are going to destroy the _Executor_, we are going to have to do it ourselves."

"_Executor_ is accelerating towards us!" one of the sensor officers reported. "They have achieved target lock!"

Isard stumbled into the wall next to her as the _Lusankya_ rocked with the impact of the _Executor_'s punishing volley. Sparks erupted from several of the bridge conduits as they overloaded with feedback from the damaged systems; one man dropped to the floor screaming when his station blew up in his face.

"All batteries, return fire!" Vorlcan shouted over the wailing alarms. "Target their bridge!"

* * *

Han Solo ran with blaster drawn through the halls of the Royal Palace, watching for the squad of Imperial saboteurs the Security Force reported had managed to land outside before the shields went up.

He turned to the massive shaggy figure running alongside him. "You smell anything?" he asked.

Chewbacca growled that he did not, but kept his bowcaster in a ready position.

A mixed group of stormtroopers and Alliance soldiers accompanied them, eyeing one another suspiciously but still grudgingly working together against the greater threat. Three Security Force officers also came with them, ones who often patrolled this section of the palace and knew its layout well.

"You hearing any comm chatter?" Han asked one of the stormtroopers.

"Negative, sir," the trooper replied. "They're using a different frequency. I've ordered my men to scan for it, but so far we haven't heard anything."

"All right, let me know when you do," Han said, glancing down a side corridor. He saw nothing, so they moved on.

Chewbacca suddenly halted, taking several deep sniffs before he growled that he smelled something that didn't belong.

"You wanna tell me what that is, exactly?" Han asked quietly, gesturing for the other soldiers to halt.

The big Wookiee clarified.

Han made a face. "Garbage? What do you mean, you smell garbage?"

Chewie gestured at a side passage up ahead, repeating that he smelled garbage in that direction.

One of the Naboo Security Force officers came forward. "The waste disposal chute is down that corridor, sir. But the hatch is specially designed so that nothing can come back up the chute. Especially the, er, smell."

Han frowned. "Now _I'm_ starting to smell it." He turned to look at Chewbacca. "Betcha that's how they got in. You think you can follow 'em?"

Chewbacca barked an affirmative, wrinkling his nose.

Han raised his blaster. "Let's go, then."

* * *

In the Valley of the Dark Lords, Luke watched as Vader continued to fend off Nova's onslaught without striking back. The dirt shifted under their black boots as Vader turned, always keeping his scarlet lightsaber between himself and his murderous apprentice.

Nova was visibly enraged, becoming more and more furious at being merely held back by the patient Vader. His attacks became more and more frenzied, his yellow eyes now glowing so strongly with the Dark Side that Luke could see them even from this far away.

The Starkiller scrambled up on top of one of the fallen pillars to launch himself in a leaping slash at the older Dark Lord, both hands on his lightsaber as he raised it above his head.

This was the moment Darth Vader chose to strike.

The instant Nova's feet left the pillar, Vader took his left hand off the hilt of his lightsaber and let loose a blindingly bright stream of Force Lightning, which leaped out to slam with thunderbolt force into Nova's chest.

Nova tumbled backwards through the air, landing heavily against one of the still-standing pillars, and his lightsaber flew from his grasp. Vader jumped over in a Force-assisted leap, his lightsaber screaming down to slash completely through the pillar. It crashed heavily to the red ground, nearly crushing the younger Sith Lord.

Nova rolled aside, calling his lightsaber to him, but Vader was still on the offensive, and now it was the Starkiller's turn to shift into pure defense. Vader forced him backwards with wide, sweeping slashes that sliced great gouges out of the pillars around them, smashing his apprentice's blade aside with sheer brute force.

More Force Lightning lit up the dim valley, flashing out in a crackling stream from Nova's hand, but Vader deflected it aside, where it completely uprooted one of the crumbling pillars from the ground and sent it crashing to the valley floor.

Before it rolled to a stop, though, Vader seized it with the Force and sent it sailing like a battering ram at Nova. The younger Sith frantically sliced it into pieces with his lightsaber, but Vader took advantage of this to turn one weapon into many.

Darth Vader stood in the center of a whirlwind of dust and debris, ruthlessly pelting his treacherous apprentice with missile after missile. Nova's lightsaber was a glowing red blur as he frantically tried to deflect all of the careening stone fragments, but Luke could hear from his increasingly furious cries of pain that some of them were getting through.

Raising his lightsaber like a shaman's staff, Vader continued to hurl a storm of stone at Darth Nova, but from his other hand he added another ingredient to the vengeful mixture; he loosed a powerful blast of Force Lightning into the cloud of debris, scattering the bolts so that they charged some of the fragments that had a high metal content and deflected off of others.

Nova, wreathed in crackling light, screamed in pain and rage. Everything around him came to a sudden halt, as if time itself had frozen, before all the debris rocketed outward away from him in a shockwave, driven by a powerful concussive blast. Everyone and everything within range was knocked flat or sprawling. Luke himself tumbled backwards, striking his shoulder sharply on a fragmented pillar. He heard Mara's grunt of pain as she, too, hit or was hit by something.

Luke blinked away his disorientation as he raised his head to see Nova alone standing out of the crowd of people gathered on the valley floor. Even Vader had been knocked off his feet, though he was swiftly rising even then.

The Starkiller, breathing heavily, ignited his lightsaber again. "_Kill them all!_" he screamed.

Luke heard a _snap-hiss_ beside him as Mara activated her magenta lightsaber, still crouching. On his other side, another Jedi weapon ignited, and Luke glanced over to see Malysa with a shaft of azure light in one hand, tossing her long black robe aside with the other.

Behind Nova, thirty more lightsabers blazed into being, every one of them as blood-red as his own. The Sith gathered themselves into a line formation, preparing to charge.

Luke removed his own dark brown outer robe as he got to his feet, tossing it over to where Malysa's cloak lay in the rust-colored dirt. He pulled the Force to himself in a rushing tide, breathing deeply as he drew his lightsaber and ignited its emerald blade.

He worked to purge any trace of the darkness from himself, drawing only upon the light. If he allowed his anger to control him here, Luke knew, allowed it to goad him into drawing upon the Dark Side, he would tumble into an abyss from which he would never emerge, at least not as himself.

Nova raised his lightsaber high over his head, as if straining to impale the sky upon his blade, and then swept it down like a burning guillotine. He and the thirty Sith charged forward, intent upon their targets.

Luke shifted his feet in the dust, anchoring himself, and dropped his lightsaber into a guard position, waiting until the first of the Sith reached him.

But suddenly, a blizzard of deadly coherent light rushed out from behind him as TK-421 and the other stormtroopers opened fire, their rifles on full automatic. Luke glanced back to see two of the Royal Guards approaching, loaded down with other weapons from Mara's arsenal and their own stockpile already aboard the Emperor's shuttle. They tossed heavy blaster rifles to their comrades, who joined in on the fusillade as soon as the weapons entered their gloved hands.

The majority of the Sith blocked the incoming blaster bolts, but several of them fell, crying out as their lightsabers slipped from suddenly nerveless fingers, blistered and burned from dozens of blaster wounds.

The Dathomiran warrior Tamith Kai headed straight for Mara, shifting her lightsaber from hand to hand as she whirled it through a dazzling, complicated pattern, her wine-dark lips pulled back away from her teeth in a feral, predatory grin. Mara braced her legs, angling her lightsaber as she awaited her opponent.

A crackling storm of Force Lightning arced out in the direction of the stormtroopers and Royal Guards, sent by several of the Sith who worked together to combine their power. Luke thrust out his hand and sent a wave of power to deflect the lightning away from the Imperial troopers, but two of the men were still struck by fleeting fingers of crackling light.

The stormtrooper cried out and slumped over, but the Royal Guard weathered the assault stoically, straightening once the lightning was gone to fire another sustained burst from his blaster rifle at the group of Sith who had sent the blast. Though obviously in pain, the man kept firing until another Sith leaped over and savagely cut him down with her lightsaber. His last bolt, though, went straight through her heart; she collapsed to the ground even as she finished her killing strike.

Luke himself could not help, beset with three Sith at once. His shining green blade danced through a spinning defensive pattern, deflecting or blocking the repeated strikes of his attackers, while his mental defenses were pushed to the brink by another form of assault.

The young Jedi did not hesitate as he saw an opening one of his attackers had inadvertently left him; he ducked under the swings of the other two Sith to dive into a forward roll. He emerged from his roll with his lightsaber in perfect position, and as he straightened, his lightsaber speared through the third Sith's heart.

Before the body had even hit the ground, Luke went on the offensive, crashing his blade against those of the other two Sith before he twisted the point around one of the other dark young men's lightsaber and through his heart, as well.

The remaining Sith stretched out his hand and blasted Luke with a twisting rope of orange energy, one that seemed to sap the strength from his limbs wherever it touched. Luke cried out, angling his lightsaber to catch part of the coil of energy, but even as he did so, a shaft of blue light erupted from the center of his opponent's chest.

Luke nodded his thanks to Malysa as the Sith crumpled to the ground, but as he saw another Sith approaching from behind her, he hurled his lightsaber over her shoulder like a javelin.

As soon as the mortal blow had been struck, he pulled the lightsaber back to him with the Force, and the cool metal grip slapped into his palm even before the body slumped to its knees.

Malysa nodded her thanks in return, bringing up her own lightsaber.

Side by side, they charged into the ranks of the enemy.

* * *

"Bridge deflectors at maximum!" Piett shouted as he saw the incoming barrage from _Lusankya_'s guns.

In the crew pits below, officers scrambled to obey, frantically adjusting controls.

Piett braced himself, but as he watched, the storm of green fire flashed against an invisible barrier several meters away from the expansive bridge viewports. The shields flickered and strained, but held; not one bolt got through.

"Grand Admiral Thrawn to all squadrons," the white-uniformed commander said from the comm station. "Designate _Lusankya_ as primary target." He reached down and touched another button. "All batteries, return fire. Target _their_ bridge."

Piett watched the battle outside and listened to the chatter on the bridge, waiting to issue his next orders.

"Damage control team to deck Thirteen, section Gamma," one of the other officers ordered through his station.

"Squadron Nine, target main engines on _Tyrannic._"

"Hull breach on deck Twenty-Five, section Theta! All personnel, evacuate to surrounding sections and seal off the compartment!"

"Alliance cruiser _Emancipator_ is under heavy fire; Squadrons Two and Thirteen render assistance immediately."

"Peregrine _to_ Executor_," _Garm Bel Iblis' voice said over the command frequency. "_Target the following coordinates on _Lusankya_ and fire on my mark._"

"Do it!" Thrawn ordered, glancing at the coordinates. The fire control officer relayed the coordinates down to the gunners.

"_Fire!_"

Turbolasers on both the _Executor_ and Bel Iblis' Dreadnaught, _Peregrine_, opened fire on the _Lusankya_, concentrating fire approximately a kilometer forward of the bridge. A moment later, a tremendous explosion burst out of the Super Star Destroyer in an eruption of flame and venting atmosphere. _Lusankya_ listed drunkenly to one side, but its guns continued firing as Isard attempted to pull it back from the line of fire.

"Home One _to_ Executor," Admiral Ackbar's gravelly voice said a moment later. "_We read six Star Destroyers approaching your position. We are rerouting four cruisers to render assistance._"

"Acknowledged, _Home One_," said Thrawn. He touched the intership comm again. "Batteries Nine-Five-Six through Twelve-One-Four, target incoming ships and fire at will." He peered at the tactical display and touched the button again. "Battery stations Eight-Three-Eight to Eight-Four-Seven, target the following coordinates on _Manticore_ and fire on my mark."

A few moments later, Thrawn gave the order to fire, and streams of punishing light lanced out from the _Executor_'s turbolaser batteries to collide with the _Manticore_. The bridge viewports automatically darkened as the smaller ship, its reactor pierced, exploded in a sun-bright fireball, sending debris in all directions. The _Basilisk_, too close to its sister ship, swayed out of control, its hull gouged in numerous places from the debris.

Almost as if Thrawn had calculated events to unfold in precisely this way, the out-of-control _Basilisk_ collided with the _Hydra_, and both ships erupted in two more tremendous explosions, flinging burning wreckage out into space.

Astonished, Piett glanced over at Thrawn, who had a small, satisfied smile on his face. When the explosion mostly cleared, he turned back to the tactical display.

* * *

As they neared the generator rooms for the shield protecting the Theed Royal Palace, Han's squad of soldiers checked their weapons, keeping a wary eye out for the Imperial saboteurs.

Chewbacca quietly growled that he could smell the traces of garbage still on the infiltrators' armor up ahead, and Han nodded, hefting his blaster rifle. He halted just outside the passage leading into the generator room, and with a series of quick, silent gestures, issued his orders to his squad. The varied troops replied with equally silent nods, raising their weapons to ready positions.

Han slowly edged around the corner, peering sidelong down the corridor to the generator room. At least three troopers in dark armor were moving around planting explosives, he saw. He pulled back and looked over at his troops.

Han jerked his head toward the corridor, silently issuing the order to charge.

He was the first around the corner, his rifle in firing position, followed closely by Chewbacca and two of the stormtroopers who were with them. All of them opened fire at the same time, catching the saboteurs by surprise, and all three of the visible troopers collapsed to the ground.

However, as Han learned shortly thereafter, the Imperial sabotage team consisted of far more than three members.

Dozens of blaster bolts streamed out at them from positions of cover scattered around the generator room, the sound of the discharges echoing from the cavernous walls.

Han frantically scrambled back, hissing in pain through gritted teeth as a bolt grazed his left arm before he could get behind cover.

Chewbacca howled angrily before he, too, joined Han around the corner. When the smuggler looked over at his partner, he saw that a sizable chunk of fur had been burned away on Chewie's chest, though it, too appeared to be only a graze. The Wookiee snarled a vile stream of profanity in his language containing several amusing anatomical impossibilities, assertions of inbreeding on the part of the enemy's ancestors, as well as questionable hygiene habits.

Despite the situation, Han had to chuckle at the sheer inventiveness of his friend's cursing. "You said it, Chewie!" he shouted to him over the cacophony of screams and blaster fire. "Hold this position; I'm gonna call for reinforcements. We have to get them out of there before they can do any-"

He was interrupted by a deafening explosion from inside the generator room, which hurled flames and debris down the corridor to where they and their remaining troops crouched around the corners.

"Well, that doesn't sound good," Han remarked to Chewie.

Another, louder explosion roared down the corridor a moment later, pelting them with chunks of stone.

"And that sounds even worse!" Han exclaimed. "What the hell are they doing in there?"

His question was answered by the ominous cracking and rumbling of shifting stone. He had time only to scream, "Look out!" and dive for cover before the ceiling and walls of the passage into the generator room collapsed down in a tidal wave of rubble.

Han waited for the debris to settle before he emerged from the alcove in the wall he had ducked into, sheltered behind a large marble statue. He frowned at the now-impenetrable corridor.

"Hey, you!" he shouted at one of the surviving Security Force officers. "Is there another way in there?"

The man, covered in stone dust and bleeding from several small wounds, nodded slowly. "Yes," he replied. "Come on, I'll show you!"

* * *

Mara Jade crossed blades with Tamith Kai, edging back a step to put distance between herself and her opponent before surging forward in a rapid offensive pattern. Their glowing, humming lightsabers collided five times in rapid succession before they locked, both women leaning forward to put their full weight into an attempt to force the other backward.

"I will… burn the skin… from your bones… centimeter… by centimeter… traitor!" the Dathomiran warrior snarled between clenched teeth, her voice strained with effort.

"That's… why I'm glad… I'm not a… Sith anymore," Mara replied, her voice equally as strained. "You all… talk too much!"

She suddenly shifted her weight to the side, causing Tamith Kai to stumble forward, unbalanced. Mara hooked her foot around the Sith woman's ankle and pulled, sending her sprawling to the dirt.

Mara raised her lightsaber for a strike, but Tamith Kai rolled over lightning-quick and sent a powerful Force push out at Mara, sending her flying backwards into a pillar. Mara's breath left her in a rush, mostly as a grunt of pain as she felt one of the ribs in her back crack from the impact.

She turned her landing into a roll to the side as she saw Tamith Kai leap over, her lightsaber extended for a decapitating slash. Mara clenched her teeth as her back screamed in protest, but she ignored the pain.

Igniting her lightsaber again, Mara sent out a Force push of her own at the leaping Dathomiran, shoving her backwards to land heavily on the ground beneath the closest standing pillar. She pulled the pillar over with the Force, trying to crush Tamith Kai, but the Sith woman rolled out of the way.

Tamith Kai placed her hands on the top of the newly fallen pillar and leaped over it, bringing both feet together for a solid kick that landed in the center of Mara's chest.

Mara collapsed backwards, crying out as her broken rib ground into her back as she landed, but she quickly hurled herself to the side as she heard the ominous humming of a descending lightsaber.

Before the Sith student behind her could pull his lightsaber from the ground, Mara seized him bodily with the Force and hurled him at Tamith Kai as a living missile. The black-robed young man smashed into the muscular warrior woman, knocking them both back over the fallen pillar.

Mara whipped her lightsaber behind her to block an incoming slash from yet another Sith student, and she and the pale-haired young woman exchanged a quick, vicious series of slashes before Mara seized her opponent's ankles with the Force and yanked the Sith off-balance, sweeping her lightsaber across her opponent's chest on the way down.

She glanced across the battlefield to see Luke and Malysa surrounded by a cluster of scarlet-bladed Sith, but before she could move to help them, a Royal Guard produced a grenade from beneath his robe and hurled it towards them.

Mara sent a flash of warning to Luke through the Force, and saw him duck down, pulling Malysa with him as he shielded them both with the Force. The grenade exploded as it landed among the Sith, sending them flying in all directions.

A few dozen meters away, the furiously sweeping lightsabers of Darth Nova and Darth Vader drew Mara's attention, crackling and sparking as they collided with tremendous fury again and again with superhuman speed.

The two Sith Lords drove each other around the battlefield in leaps and dodges, both of them now fully engaged in the duel. Vader's cloak had several holes and tattered slices hanging from the edges, and there was a large burn on his upper arm. Nova's dark uniform was burned and bloody in several places where Vader had slipped his blade through his apprentice's defenses a few times of his own.

Crackling surges of Force Lightning surged back and forth like a thunderstorm between them, lighting up the dim valley in a succession of flashes.

Mara returned to her own battle as she sensed Tamith Kai leaping toward her, blade outstretched like a ribbon of death.

* * *

-/\\-


	34. III,6: Eye of the Storm

-/\\-

* * *

**Six**  
(Eye of the Storm)

The Alliance had hastily converted one of the rooms in the Royal Palace to a war room when the attack began, from which to coordinate the defense of Theed and monitor the space battle overhead.

As Leia watched, the symbol on the tactical display indicating one of the Alliance frigates flickered and disappeared under a volley from four surrounding Imperial vessels. But only moments later, one of those ships in turn was destroyed by _Executor_.

Under Grand Admiral Thrawn's direction, the Emperor's flagship swept through the battlefield like an unstoppable juggernaut, its thousands of turbolaser batteries flashing green death in all directions. Despite being currently engaged in a running battle with the _Lusankya_, the _Executor_ still managed to come to the rescue of their allies for today, the Rebel fleet.

"_This is Commander Solo_," Han's voice suddenly said over the comm. "_My squad is in pursuit of a group of Imperial saboteurs. We've been cut off from the main entrance to the shield generator room, but we're on our way to the secondary entrance now. We request any available troops to meet us there. Expect heavy resistance."_

Leia's hand brushed the lightsaber at her side. "I'm going," she said to the others gathered around the table in the middle of the war room.

"Be careful," said Padmé, looking across the table at her.

Leia nodded to her mother before she turned and left, jogging through the wide halls of the palace.

* * *

"_Lusankya_ is withdrawing," the officer at the tactical station reported to Piett and Thrawn. "Sensors indicate heavy damage."

"Are we able to monitor their comm frequency?" Thrawn asked.

The comm officer nodded. "Yes, sir. We cracked the encryption code a few minutes ago." He put his hand up to his ear and listened for a moment, then his face broke into a broad grin. "Grand Admiral Vorlcan was killed in our last barrage. Director Isard has taken command, and is ordering a retreat."

Piett grinned himself, turning to his commander, but to his surprise, Thrawn was not smiling. Instead, he was frowning thoughtfully.

"Do not pursue," he said. "Relay to the Alliance vessels that they are also not to pursue. Let Isard's fleet go."

"Sir?" Piett asked curiously.

Thrawn looked over at him. "Something is not right here, Admiral," he said. "Isard's fleet still outnumbers ours, but she is ordering a retreat. My supposition at this time is that she is withdrawing to request reinforcements from her allies among the rest of the Imperial military."

"That would be all the more reason to pursue, then, wouldn't it?" Piett asked, confused.

"No, Admiral," Thrawn replied. "We have taken heavy damage ourselves, and so have the Alliance ships. If Isard is retreating to make her own repairs and summon reinforcements, we must do the same."

"But this is the Rebels' entire fleet," Piett said, gesturing at the tactical display. "They have no reinforcements to call."

Thrawn smiled slightly. "But we do."

"With all due respect, sir," said Piett, "How can we know any Imperial ships we call here won't turn on us, as well? We have no idea how far Isard's conspiracy extends."

"True," Thrawn replied. "But I know of an Imperial fleet which is unquestionably loyal to the Emperor, and would not be swayed by whatever promises or threats Isard has made to the rest of the Imperial command."

Piett furrowed his brow in confusion. "What fleet is that, sir?"

Thrawn did not answer. Instead, he said, "Admiral Piett, you have the bridge," and left.

* * *

In his office on Coruscant, Sate Pestage paced back and forth behind his desk. A flickering, blue-tinged hologram of Ysanne Isard watched him from half a galaxy away.

"_Have you made the declaration?_" Isard asked.

"Not yet," Sate answered. "I was waiting to hear the results of your little skirmish."

Isard's image scowled at him. "_Preserving your own hide, I see,_" she said sourly. _"If I lost the battle, you would still be able to salvage your own position with Vader_."

Sate made no attempt to apologize or deny her words. "One must always have a backup plan," he said. "Your contacting me to inform me of your retreat can only mean you have lost or are losing."

"_The battle here isn't over yet,_" snapped Isard. "_I've pulled the fleet back temporarily to make repairs. Our Interdictors are keeping Thrawn and the Rebels around the planet, though it doesn't look as though they were going to chase us, anyway."_

"Shall I send the other fleets?" Sate inquired.

Isard nodded. "_Everything we've got. When I go back, I want to finish Thrawn off for good."_

Sate nodded in agreement. "Very well. I will contact our commanders."

"_In the meantime_," Isard said, leaning forward slightly to emphasize her point, "_I have another task for you; it is high time for another purge._"

"Purge of what?" Sate asked, looking back at her curiously.

"_Of the Sith,_" Isard replied. "_Palpatine was right to rid the galaxy of Force-users not under his own control. The Sith have caused us no end of trouble, and we are far better off without them. It is time for Order 66 to be executed once again._"

Sate nodded. "I agree."

"_Tomorrow,"_ said Isard,_ "assemble the Senate and announce Vader's removal as Emperor. Even if he does succeed at Korriban, I want him left with nothing to come back to._"

Sate walked back over to his desk. "I have the support of the majority of the Senate," he said. "The loyalists will resist, but they are outnumbered here. The motion will pass."

"_Relay the announcement here_," Isard said, turning her head to follow him. "_I estimate about a day for repairs while we wait for the rest of the fleet to arrive._" She smirked. "_Even if Thrawn gets the same amount of time, it won't do him any good_."

"One swift strike, then," Sate said. "Tomorrow morning, I will make the announcement as you launch the second wave of your attack. Vader's stranglehold on this galaxy will be broken forever."

"_And if Lord Nova is the one to return from Korriban,_" Isard said with a slow, nasty smile, _"I will make sure his reign as Emperor is short."_

"All hail Empress Isard," Sate said with dark amusement.

* * *

Luke angled his emerald lightsaber to catch an incoming overhand slash from a Sith, flexing his muscles to halt the scarlet blade's advance. With one hand, he held the Sith back, and with the other, sent out a powerful Force push, knocking the black-robed warrior backwards. While his opponent was off-balance, he swept in and cut him down.

Beside him, Malysa fought off her own opponent, her azure lightsaber sweeping through an intricate pattern that was simultaneously defensive and offensive. Their lightsabers crackled and hissed, sparks erupting from the blades every time they crashed together.

Luke saw an opening in Malysa's opponent's defense, and he slashed at the young man as he ran past, distracting him for a vital second. Behind the Sith, one of the stormtroopers drew a careful bead on Malysa's opponent and shot him in the back. The Sith cried out once, then slumped to the dry Korriban dirt.

Taking advantage of the momentary pause in combat, Luke surveyed the battlefield. Three of the white-armored stormtroopers and two of the red-robed Royal Guards had been killed, and lay motionless where they had fallen. By Luke's estimation, eighteen of the thirty Sith who had accompanied Darth Nova here were still alive and fighting; the others were all dead or dying.

Mara and the Dathomiran warrior Tamith Kai were still engaged in their heated duel, battering one another back and forth across the valley floor. Nearby, Darth Nova and Vader were also still fighting, their lightsabers whipping through attack patterns almost too fast to see. Luke felt the Dark Side roiling within both of them, sometimes spiking as they hurled lightning at one another or attempted other forms of assault through the Force.

Luke glanced back and forth between his father and Mara, debating which of them to assist.

At a tremendous creaking and groaning of metal, almost everyone on the battleground stopped to see what was making such a terrible racket. Luke looked over to see Nova standing atop a pillar, yellow eyes glowing brightly, with one hand stretched out behind him. Vader stood on the ground below him, lightsaber raised in a defensive posture. The ragged remnants of his cloak stirred in the wind as Nova focused his power.

One of the other pillars leaped from the ground and came crashing down at Vader, but the Sith Master leaped aside, rolling once before leaping to his feet again and jumping atop one of the fallen pillars. Only then did Luke realize what the groaning metal had been; Vader had ripped one of the wings off of Nova's shuttle with the Force, and now he smashed it into his treacherous apprentice and the pillar upon which Nova was standing.

Luke saw Nova try to jump away, but the edge of the wing still clipped him, and he tumbled to the ground, his lightsaber skittering away through the dust.

Vader raised his lightsaber and charged in, but at the last second Nova seized a piece of stone debris with the Force and hurled it at Vader. The Sith Master dodged the chunk of debris, but the second of delay was enough for Nova to scramble backwards and roll to his feet again.

The dust around Nova stirred, shifting as he seized more debris with the Force, but with a deep, metallic groan, the entire shuttle lifted free of the ground and hurtled toward the younger Sith Lord.

Nova scrambled backwards, moving with Force-enhanced speed for the entrance of the ancient tomb behind him. But still the shuttle came, rushing in like an impacting meteor.

With a tremendous crash, the shuttle slammed into the cliff wall around the tomb's entrance, sending rock dust and other debris flying in all directions. The statue above the tomb's entrance cracked and splintered, then finally collapsed atop the wreck of the shuttle, burying it beneath a mound of jagged stone chunks.

Vader stood motionless for a moment, staring at the wreckage as the dust settled and the last of the stone fragments tumbled down. Then, so quickly he almost blurred, the Sith Master whirled and charged for the nearest of his former students, a dark-haired young man who still stood frozen with shock at the terrifying display of power.

The Sith Master cut him down without hesitation, whipping his lightsaber blade through the boy's neck as he ran past. Before the severed head had even hit the ground, Vader had already moved on to his next target.

The battlefield exploded into chaotic motion again as the remaining Sith turned as one and ran, fleeing from the whirlwind of death that was their former master as he ruthlessly punished them for their rebellion. Encouraged, the Imperial troopers fired after the retreating Sith, who scattered into the ruins at the end of the valley. Two more Sith fell beneath the orange storm of laser fire, while Vader hurled his lightsaber at the last one to enter the ruins.

The hurtling ruby blade speared the Sith student through the heart, and he cried out as he toppled backwards. Vader summoned his lightsaber back to himself with the Force, and once it blazed within his grip again, he stopped, staring after the fleeing enemies.

He turned to face the others, his natural eye a disturbing shade of yellow, but as he deactivated his lightsaber and clipped it to his belt, Vader's eye faded back to its natural blue.

"They will return," he said, his voice hoarse. "Their shuttle is destroyed; there is only one way off this planet now." He gestured toward his own shuttle.

Mara lightly jumped down from the pillar she had been standing on, deactivating her own weapon. "Is Nova dead?" she called over to her former master.

"No," Vader replied. "He still lives; I sense it. He is trapped inside the tomb, but he will cut himself free eventually."

"We should leave, then," said Luke. "We'll trap them here and come back with more troops to round them up later."

"No!" Vader shouted, his eye flashing yellow again for an instant. "This ends today. I am not leaving until Nova and his followers are all dead!"

"If we are not going to depart," TK-421 said, walking over to them with his blaster rifle held across his chest, "then I suggest we withdraw to another valley. The Sith are all on foot, my lord; they won't get far." The stormtrooper boldly approached the Emperor. "You need to rest, sir. We all do. Let us take advantage of this opportunity to recover before we start the final offensive."

"He's right," said Mara. "Nova isn't going anywhere, at least not right now."

Vader looked around at all of them, seeming like he was about to object, but before he said anything, his shoulders relaxed and he nodded once. "Very well," he said, gesturing off in the direction of his shuttle with one gloved hand. "Let's go."

* * *

Leia caught up with Han and his group shortly after they arrived at the secondary entrance to the palace's shield generator room, lightsaber in hand.

Han turned to look at her as she arrived, and his features brightened. "Good," he said. "They've fused this door shut; you can get us in."

Leia nodded, igniting her lightsaber. The soldiers of Han's squad moved aside as she angled the sapphire blade and thrust it up to the hilt at the edge of the door. The metal around her blade glowed orange as Leia quickly sliced through the barrier, severing the weld the Imperial saboteurs had put around the edge of the door.

"When it's open," Han said to his troops while Leia worked, "follow her through and shoot at anything that's shooting back. Stay together, and stay behind the lady with the lightsaber."

Chewbacca approached when Leia was almost through and held out two portable carry-handles, used to transport transparisteel panes. He growled his plan to her, gesturing to the door. Leia understood most of what the Wookiee said, and nodded as she completed the circle.

She finished cutting the door away and watched as Chewbacca quickly worked to attach the handles to the door. With a flex of his massive furry arms, the Wookiee shoved the metal door through the hole and held it up by the handles, providing a shield of sorts for their charge.

With Chewbacca holding the door on one side and Leia holding out her lightsaber on the other, Han's squad rushed into the generator room, blasters at the ready. The saboteurs fired down at them from their positions, but Leia swept out her blade, intercepting the incoming bolts as quickly as she could. Some of the bolts just bounced away into the walls, but she was able to angle her blade to deflect some shots back at those who had fired them.

Other orange bolts of fire slammed into Chewbacca's improvised shield, but the metal door held. Han and his soldiers ducked behind the door as cover, then leaned out to fire at the saboteurs. Working as a team, the Alliance soldiers, stormtroopers, and Security Force officers quickly picked off most of the sabotage team, firing rapidly.

Han, looking over Leia's shoulder, spotted one of the saboteurs running along a catwalk above them at the same time she did. He let loose a stream of full automatic fire at the sprinting man, but the saboteur ducked and dodged, intent on his goal, a bomb he and his comrades had planted on one of the power relays to the generator.

With a sweep of her lightsaber, Leia caught an incoming bolt and, with the Force flowing through her, angled it up towards the running saboteur. The bolt caught him in the back, and he screamed as he toppled from the walkway to fall over the side.

"I think that's all of them," Han said, firing at the lone remaining commando. The black-armored Imperial slumped over his blaster rifle as one of Han's bolts hit him in the chest. Han looked over at Leia. "Are there any others?"

Leia let her eyes fall half-closed as she reached out with the Force, searching for any other saboteurs. For a moment, she only sensed the soldiers clustered behind her, but suddenly the Force surged in alarm. She thrust out her hand. "There!"

With a mighty roar of effort, Chewbacca hurled his shield at the commando who had been crouching on the catwalk above them. The huge metal door soared up in an almost graceful arc, and with a small nudge of the Force from Leia, slammed into the saboteur as he ran, smashing him off the walkway to topple into the cavernous shaft below them.

"That's all of them," Leia confirmed.

"All right, fan out," Han ordered. "I want all explosives accounted for. Hopefully, they were all wired to a remote detonator and none of these guys got the chance to push the button, but if anything's on a timer in here, I want to know about it." He turned to Leia. "You think you can disable these with the Force?"

She nodded. "I should be able to, yes."

He nodded back. "All right, let's get to work, then."

* * *

"You certainly are a bloody mess, Skywalker," Mara said amusedly as she pulled a bandage out of its plastic packaging.

Luke winced as he pulled his tunic the rest of the way off and part of the fabric stuck painfully to one of the cuts on his side. He'd managed to avoid any serious injuries, but a few of his opponents' strikes had made their way through his guard.

"In case you hadn't noticed," Luke replied teasingly, "there are more of them than there are of us. I didn't have the luxury of fighting just one opponent the entire time."

Mara held up her forearm, which sported a large white bandage of its own. "Hey, that woman's as much trouble as twenty Sith by herself. You wouldn't be making smart remarks if _you_'d been fighting her."

Luke just grinned impudently. "All right, we'll switch when we go back."

Mara sighed in mock exasperation. "You're spending too much time with Solo."

Luke laughed, but his smile slowly faded as he glanced around the interior of the shuttle at the rest of their companions. Several of the Imperial troopers and Malysa were patching up their own wounds, but two others were tending to their dead, securing their fallen comrades in compartments in the main hold.

"Do you think we can win this?" Luke said quietly, looking over his shoulder at Mara as she applied the bandage to his back.

She was quiet for a moment as she worked, but as she smoothed the edges of the bandage, securing the adhesive, Mara met his gaze. "Yes," she said. "But it won't be easy. What we _should_ do is leave and come back here with a full legion of troops to hunt them all down, but you know that isn't what Vader is going to do."

Luke glanced back at the rear of the ship, where Vader had sealed himself inside his private compartment to treat his own injuries. "I know," he said somberly.

Mara helped him back into his tunic, and he smoothed out the wrinkles as he leaned back against the metal wall of the shuttle. Mara sat down next to him, leaning against him.

"I'm concerned about him," Luke said as he put his arm around her. "Being in this place isn't helping, not with all the other things he has on his mind right now. The Dark Side is so strong here that I'm afraid it's going to extinguish the spark of light I've felt within him. If that happens…"

"You might have to fight him again," Mara finished, reaching over to clasp his hand.

"And I don't want to have to do that," Luke said. "He's trying not to show it, but he's hurting right now. He thinks everyone is turning on him, and it's pushing him further and further into darkness and despair."

Mara shifted, turning to look into his eyes. "Luke, after all that man has done, it's hard for me to feel sorry for him. Some people might say he's just getting what he deserves."

Luke sighed. "Yes, it's true that he's done some terrible things, but I get the sense that…" He paused, trying to think of the right words. "There's a reason he's so harsh, and it's not just the darkness within him. My father is trying to accomplish something, and he feels that everyone else is getting in his way. He feels very frustrated right now."

Mara looked at him curiously. "You can sense all that?"

Luke nodded. "He has very powerful emotions; I've been feeling this ever since he met us at Naboo."

Mara glanced back at the rear of the shuttle. "All I sense is that he's angry, but he usually is, anyway."

Luke shifted, thinking, and finally he stood. "I'm going to go talk to him."

Mara knew better than to advise against it; through their bond, he felt her thinking about how stubborn Skywalkers could get, knowing very well that he could sense her line of thought.

"Do you want me to go with you?" she asked.

Luke took a deep breath, preparing himself. "No," he replied. "I should do this alone."

"All right," she said, touching his arm. _I'll still be there, anyway,_ she sent through the Force, along with a warm wave of reassurance.

Luke smiled at her, then turned and walked back to Vader's private compartment, steeling himself for his father's turbulent emotions.

He raised his hand to knock, but even as he drew his hand back, the door whisked open, revealing Vader sitting at the small table inside his room, working on his mechanical arm. "Come in," he said, glancing up at Luke.

Vader had changed into a fresh uniform, Luke saw, and had replaced his shredded cloak. His face was stoically expressionless, but his eyes were hard as he looked back down at his prosthetic.

"Repairing things has always… calmed me," Vader said as Luke walked in and the door closed behind him. "It is… easy to forget other concerns."

"Father," Luke began, sitting down in the other chair, but Vader held up his hand.

"I know what you are here to say, Luke," he said. He looked up from his arm, and his eyes seemed very sad just then. "It is… too late for me. I have done too much to be forgiven."

"Father…"

"Luke, just listen to me. I know that you think you can save me, that you think you can bring me back from the darkness, but it is too late. I am too far gone."

Luke leaned forward. "You are not-"

"Just listen!" Vader interrupted.

Luke sighed, but he leaned back and folded his hands in his lap.

"I have… tried to shape the galaxy into something better during my reign," Vader said. "But all that I have accomplished is to force those around me into rebellion. The people are no longer willing to listen to me, and I have come to see that my remaining in power will only prolong the war."

Vader looked away, as if staring through the walls of his shuttle out to some distant point. "Luke, there is a threat out there that the people of this galaxy are not ready to face, despite all that I have done to try to prepare them. If I try to explain, the people will not listen. They will only fight against me more."

"What is this threat?" Luke asked.

"It doesn't matter right now," Vader said, making an adjustment to his arm with one of his tools. "What does matter is that when this is over, I will step down as Emperor." He looked up at his son. "I want you to take my place, Luke."

Luke reeled from the shocking news. "Father, I can't…"

"You _can_," Vader said firmly. "You can succeed where I failed. The people will listen to you. Those sympathetic to the Rebellion already see you as a hero, and those still loyal to me within the Empire will accept you as my heir. You and Leia can heal the rift in this galaxy, to shape it into what it should be. My presence will only cause further disruption, when what our civilization needs the most is stability."

"Father, I don't want to be Emperor," Luke said.

"Then that is why you are the best candidate to succeed me," Vader replied. "I have come to realize that those who desire power are those least suitable to wield it. That may be why I failed as Emperor; I was too flush with the Dark Side. Instead of explaining the magnitude of the threat facing the galaxy, I tried to force the people into line, to force their obedience through fear instead of through respect." He made a final adjustment to his mechanical arm, then began to close it up. "Do not make the same mistakes I did, my son. The Dark Side may provide strength, but it corrodes your spirit, who you are as a person."

"What will you do?" Luke asked, too surprised by his father's change of heart to say anything else.

Vader swiftly buckled up the leather gauntlet around his prosthetic arm, then pulled the sleeve of his uniform down over it. "I will finish this," he said determinedly. "I will destroy my apprentice, or be destroyed myself in the attempt. If I do succeed, I will stay long enough to oversee the transition, and then I will take my flagship and go to hold the line against the invaders."

He reached out to clasp Luke's shoulder with one hand, meeting his eyes. "But if I fall, you must destroy Darth Nova. He cannot be allowed to escape Korriban alive, for he will do more damage than I ever could. He has thrown himself completely to the darkness, and has no intention of coming back."

"I will, Father," Luke said.

Vader nodded grimly. "Good. Now, go and get some rest. Tomorrow, this ends."

As Luke left his father's room, he was deep in thought. Vader might think he was too far gone to attempt redemption, Luke thought, but what he had just told him proved that his father was far closer to the light than he thought.

* * *

Sate Pestage looked out over the rows upon rows of balconies covering the walls of the Senate chamber. As his podium rose up through the floor, rapidly ascending to its full height, he straightened his robes, mentally running over the speech he had prepared and memorized one last time. Almost every seat was filled in the tremendous chamber, thousands of people waiting to hear what he had to say, anxious to learn why he had called them here in an emergency session.

The Grand Vizier thought back to another emergency session convened decades ago by his first master, the true Emperor. He drew inspiration from Palpatine's speech on the day he had dissolved the corrupt old Republic and replaced it with a strong new Empire. Today, he would return the galaxy to the path his master had planned. Vader had blundered on long enough; it was time to take the galaxy away from him before he did any more damage.

He decided to be blunt and truthful in the opening lines of his speech. "I have called you here today to propose the removal of Darth Vader as Emperor," Sate began, addressing the room full of Senators and their aides, as well as trillions more through the HoloNet cameras that hovered around the podium.

Despite the fact that the majority of the beings here today had known he would say this, a shocked murmur rippled through the Senate chamber. Sate held up his hands for silence. When the mutterings had died away, he continued.

"When Chancellor Palpatine dissolved the Republic," Sate said, "he had a grand plan in mind. His heir, Darth Vader, has failed to carry out that plan. He has proved his unsuitability for the position of galactic ruler again and again by blundering from one costly war to another. His rule has proved so disastrous that a sizable number of his subjects have risen up in open rebellion against him, demanding his removal as Emperor.

"A true leader, a _strong_ leader, like Palpatine, would never have inspired such rebellion. Under his leadership, we weathered one of the worst conflicts this galaxy has ever seen, but he led us through it, and we were stronger than ever when he re-forged our civilization into the Empire. But he was tragically struck down, and we were left with his apprentice as replacement.

"My office has uncovered new evidence," Sate declared, "that it was not the Jedi Obi-Wan Kenobi who struck down our first Emperor, as Lord Vader has long claimed. It was Vader _himself_ who killed Emperor Palpatine!"

A louder ripple of shock swept around the convocation chamber, and Sate waited for it to quiet down.

There was no such evidence, nothing concrete, anyway, but Sate had deduced this conclusion himself through a careful study of the events of the first Empire Day. The warship Emperor Palpatine had taken to the Mustafar system had not recorded any other vessels leaving the planet before it arrived, nor once Vader had flown the Emperor's shuttle back aboard bearing Palpatine's corpse. The medical examination revealed that Palpatine had been dead for less than twenty minutes by the time he was brought aboard the warship, and since he was killed by a lightsaber, the only realistic possibility for his assassin's identity was Vader himself.

"I call for a vote of no confidence in Darth Vader's leadership," Sate said once the chamber quieted again. "The Senate must exercise its emergency power to remove an unsuitable leader."

"The sovereign system of Naboo seconds this motion!" the Senator for that sector declared, detaching her pod to hover out into the main chamber. "We must vote now!"

It took only moments for the Senators to enter their votes and for the central computer to calculate the totals. When the results were in, Sate sent them out to the display screens in all the pods. "The Senate has decided," he declared. "Darth Vader is no longer the Emperor. Administrative duties will be transferred to the Grand Vizier's office until a suitable replacement can be found. A fleet will be dispatched to Lord Vader's location to inform him of our decision and enforce it if he does not surrender his position peacefully."

With a roar of approval, the Senate surged to its feet and applauded. Again, Sate waited several moments before continuing.

"With this decision, we can finally put a dark chapter in our history behind us," he said. "We must move forward, into a new era!"

As the Senate cheered again, Sate concealed his satisfaction behind a politician's mask, thinking of all that could be accomplished with Vader out of the way. A new era was rising, certainly; one in which Sate himself would sit upon the Emperor's throne. He would arrange for Director Isard to perish in the second round of the battle at Naboo, and once she, Vader, and Nova were all either dead or out of the way, the throne would be his for the taking.

He would take Isard's suggestion, though; one of his first decisions would be to enact another purge of Force-users, Sate decided as he looked around the Senate chamber. Neither the Jedi nor the Sith could be allowed to roam the galaxy any longer, dragging the rest of civilization into their endless squabbles. The galaxy would be better off without such troubles.

Some legions of the Imperial military had already enacted Order 66 once; when Sate solidified his power, he would see to it that the order was executed across the galaxy once more.

* * *

-/\\-


	35. III,7: Darkness Falls

-/\\-

* * *

**Seven**  
(Darkness Falls)

An uneasy night passed on the ships in orbit above Naboo as the crews of the Alliance fleet and the _Executor_ worked to repair their vessels. They had had no word from the Emperor since he had left, and this worried many aboard the flagship.

The only news since the battle had begun yesterday was a shocking news announcement that reported the Senate had voted and removed Lord Vader as Emperor early this morning.

Admiral Piett watched the news report in the officers' lounge of _Executor_, unable to believe this was happening. So much upheaval had taken place over the last few days that it was starting to remind him of the end of the Clone Wars and the formation of the Empire.

"This is illegal," a voice said behind Piett, startling him. He shifted in his chair, looking back at the person who had spoken. As he recognized Grand Admiral Thrawn, he started to stand, but Thrawn indicated that he should remain seated.

"The Senate does not have the constitutional power to remove the Emperor," Thrawn continued, walking forward to stand next to the wide viewport that ran along the length of one wall. "There can be no doubt this is a part of Isard's conspiracy. She, Darth Nova, and Pestage must have been working together on this."

"What can we do?" asked Piett.

Thrawn looked out of the viewport at the planet below, clasping his hands behind his back. "We will utilize this ship in the most useful manner possible. If Lord Vader is victorious at Korriban, we will help him retake the Empire from the conspirators. If his apprentice is the one who returns, we will carry out Lord Vader's last orders and take the flagship to Vanguard Base Alpha."

"What does that mean, sir?"

"It means," Thrawn said, turning away from the window to look back at Piett, "that we cannot fight two civil wars at once. There are threats facing this galaxy, targets better suited for the Imperial military than our own subjects. If Darth Nova seizes power, we cannot remain here to attempt to salvage the situation, no matter how much we might wish to. What truly matters is holding the line against the Far Outsiders."

"Far Outsiders?" Piett asked. He hadn't heard that term before.

"The Emperor has authorized me to brief you on the situation, Admiral," said Thrawn. "However, what I am about to tell you is not to be passed on without Lord Vader's express permission until such time as he decides to make this public knowledge."

Piett nodded. "I understand, sir."

"The Far Outsiders are an extragalactic civilization," Thrawn began, "one whose technology is so different from our own as to almost be incomprehensible to us…"

* * *

On Korriban, Luke felt the powerful surge of anger through the Force as Darth Nova demanded that Vader return to face him. After spending hours trapped in an ancient tomb, Nova's temper had only grown more foul, and Luke could sense his rage. The younger Sith was eager for blood; today there would be no retreat. Only one Dark Lord of the Sith would leave this planet alive.

As a precaution against sabotage or theft by the Sith, Vader's group had R2-D2 fly the shuttle to a hidden location nearby, only seconds away by flight but entirely inaccessible on foot. Luke glanced back to watch the shuttle fly away.

When it was gone, he, his father, and the rest of their group were alone in the Valley of the Dark Lords. The valley was as dim as ever; almost no light filtered through Korriban's heavy clouds to the surface today. Thunder rumbled overhead, light flashing as lightning darted from cloud to cloud high above their heads.

Nova was right, Luke thought grimly. There would be no retreat today, no respite. The battle would be over only when all the members of one side lay bleeding into the dry red dirt like uncounted others in this planet's violent past.

Darth Vader stood at the edge of the cluster of pillars in the center of the valley, as motionless as the colossal statues around them. Only his cloak moved in the wind, gently billowing out behind him and shifting around his feet. The four remaining Royal Guards stood similarly motionless on either side of the Emperor, while TK-421 and his stormtroopers patrolled one end of the valley. Malysa knelt in meditation a few meters away, behind Mara, who paced back and forth restlessly, impatiently tossing the hilt of her lightsaber back and forth between her hands.

Luke himself remained where he was, watching the others and thinking on what his father had said to him last night. He wondered if he could really go through with it, if taking Vader's place as Emperor was truly the right thing to do. He could certainly effect change, Luke thought. He could be the bridge between the Alliance and the Empire, help them to end the war and set about erecting defenses against the mysterious enemy his father had mentioned.

If he was Emperor, Luke reasoned, he could personally ensure that peace and justice returned to the galaxy. What better way to keep the peace than to enforce it himself? He was already older than his father had been when he had ascended the throne, and he would have the advantage of the existing infrastructure. He could assemble his government from the best members of both the Alliance and the Empire.

But was it the Jedi way?

The old Jedi Order could have taken control of the Republic anytime they wanted, but they never did. They remained instead an autonomous body whose main goals were study of the Force and the preservation of peace and justice in the galaxy. There must have been a reason the Jedi never tried to rule the galaxy themselves.

But, Luke thought, the old order had made mistakes in the past. Had that been one of them? Would the galaxy have been better off if the Jedi had taken control?

On the other hand, Luke thought, supposing he did accept Vader's offer and took up the mantle of Emperor, how long would it be until he himself became like his father? Oh, he would have the greatest of intentions at first, and he would genuinely try to use his rule to benefit the people of the galaxy, but how long would it take for that kind of power to corrupt him?

How long would it take for him to become so impatient with bureaucracy and politics that he forcibly took control and decided people needed to think what he told them to think?

In that moment, Luke knew, he understood his father. He still did not approve of Vader's methods as Emperor, but for the first time, he truly understood them. The Dark Side was insidious, he knew; it did not always manifest itself through violence and destruction. No, there were more subtle ways to be corrupted, less dramatic ways to fall, but the end result was the same: a total degradation of the spirit, an eroding away of one's humanity.

He would not repeat his father's mistakes, Luke resolved. He would not follow his same path, one that led to the Dark Side. If he walked away from this battlefield, he would take his life on an entirely different course. Along with Mara, his sister, and Malysa - assuming they all lived through today - he would rebuild the Jedi Order and serve as a guardian of security, of stability and prosperity instead of violence and fear like the Sith.

His determination renewed, Luke took a deep breath and centered himself in the light, shielding his heart against the darkness that assaulted him from all sides.

With a tremendous blast of power, the rubble covering the tomb containing Darth Nova erupted out like a volcano, spewing chunks of rock and fragments of metal rather than lava. Nova charged out of the tomb and straight at Vader, igniting his lightsaber on the way.

His eyes were wild, his uniform was burned, torn, and dirty, and fury radiated from him in waves. Nova issued no challenges, gave no speeches and made no threats. He only ran at his former master, bent on death and destruction.

Behind him came his remaining followers. Led by Tamith Kai, the Sith emerged from the ruins at the end of the canyon and ran at full speed down the valley behind their master, lightsabers held high.

With a last deep, cleansing breath, Luke planted his feet wide, ignited his lightsaber, and braced himself to meet their charge.

* * *

Ysanne Isard's smile as she stood on the bridge of her Super Star Destroyer and surveyed her newly assembled fleet was a truly terrible thing to behold.

She had transferred herself to the aptly named _Vengeance_ to lead the second attack; the _Lusankya_ was heavily damaged, and would be left behind until repairs were complete.

Nearly five hundred ships had gathered here on the outskirts of the system. It was only a fraction of the mighty Imperial Navy, but it was enough for now. More ships were inbound; Isard would have far more reinforcements than she would ever need to crush Thrawn and the Rebels, but she was taking no chances. There was no such thing as 'excessive force' in Ysanne's personal book of tactics; if the objective was accomplished, then the mission was a success. Collateral damage was irrelevant.

Outside, half a dozen additional Super Star Destroyers were among the newly arrived ships; _Executor_'s advantage was long gone now. She would swoop in like a bird of prey and crush Thrawn and the Rebels in the figurative talons of her hundreds of ships. Victory would take only moments, she was sure.

But first, she needed to ensure her own personal victory.

Moving with all the speed her reflexes and hours upon hours of training provided, Isard drew her blaster as she suddenly turned and dropped into a half-crouch, then fired down the command walkway at the Sith student standing at the other end. The shot hit the young man perfectly between the eyes, and he didn't even have time to blink in surprise before his corpse collapsed into one of the crew pits.

Isard let a satisfied grin spread across her face; she'd been wanting to do that for a very long time.

"Give me fleet-wide," Isard said to the senior comm officer, one of the few crewmen who wasn't staring at the dead body that had toppled over their stations.

When she could be heard by all aboard her own vessel and everyone in the rest of the fleet, Ysanne Isard stiffened her back, straightened her uniform, and holstered her blaster.

"This is Supreme Commander Isard to all troops," she began. She paused for an instant to savor the moment.

"Execute Order 66."

* * *

_Imperial General Order 66: In the event of Sith officers acting against the interests of the Empire, and after receiving specific orders verified as coming from the Supreme Commander of the Imperial Military, all troopers are authorized to remove those officers by any means necessary._

* * *

In a corridor on board the Super Star Destroyer _Night Hammer,_ Trooper LG-138 heard Director Isard's order and snapped his blaster rifle into position, taking aim at the center of the nearest Sith Lord's back.

The man turned, staring at LG-138 and the rest of his squad with yellow eyes. "What are you doing?"

LG-138's reply was to shoot the Sith Lord in the forehead. Nearly a dozen more blaster bolts from the rest of his squad slammed into the dark-robed body before it hit the deck. The Sith hadn't even had time to draw his lightsaber.

* * *

ZT-991 was attending a briefing being given by a Sith warrior, her dark hair pulled severely back to the nape of her neck, on the primary targets on Naboo's surface they would be invading once the Rebel lines were broken.

Every other white-armored trooper there heard the announcement at the same time:

"_Execute Order 66_."

The Sith warrior's yellow eyes widened in alarm, her hand going for the lightsaber at her belt, but she only got halfway before ZT-991 and a dozen other troopers raised their rifles and fired.

"Target One eliminated," ZT-991 reported over his comm. "Moving on to Target Two."

* * *

MS-998 heard the order in the cockpit of his TIE Interceptor, and acknowledged, decreasing speed to allow the leader of his formation to pull ahead.

With clinical precision, MS-998 locked his targeting computer on the Sith Lord's Interceptor and calmly squeezed the trigger to send a hail of blaster fire into the other fighter's rear section. His unexpected blast completely severed one of the wings, and the Sith Lord's fighter spun out of control.

It bloomed into a fireball a moment later.

* * *

Trooper PG-134, marching in formation toward a landing vessel in the hangar of the Imperial Star Destroyer _Virulence_, halted in perfect sync with the rest of his squad, raising his blaster rifle at a group of three Sith who were leading them.

The first Sith died instantly, but a second used his comrade as a shield while he drew his lightsaber. PG-134 fired burst after burst from his rifle, tracking the Sith as he sprinted across the hangar bay.

When the Sith hurled his lightsaber at his squad, PG-134 dropped to the deck, ignoring his fellow troopers' cries of pain as the ruby blade scythed through them. Peering through the dark lenses of his helmet, PG-134 switched his blaster rifle over to full automatic and sprayed a hail of orange bolts across the hangar at the fleeing Sith.

One of his bolts hit the Sith in the calf, and as he stumbled, six more lanced out from other stormtroopers and dropped the black-robed warrior to the deck.

PG-134 strode over to the bodies of the other two, and upon seeing that one of the men was still moving, sprayed the body with another burst of blaster fire.

"Objective complete," he said to his commander.

"Notify the Director," the other trooper replied.

* * *

On the bridge of _Vengeance_, Isard waited in pleased silence as the stormtroopers' reports were relayed in.

Less than twenty minutes after she had given the order, every single Sith Darth Nova had ordered along for this offensive was dead. The fleet was truly under her control now.

"Order the Interdictors to stand down," Isard ordered, striding forward along the command walkway to the expansive viewports. "All ships, prepare for microjump directly into position around Naboo." She smiled to herself in satisfaction. "Thrawn will be surrounded and destroyed before he knows what is happening."

* * *

On Korriban, the skies flashed with lightning and rumbled with thunder. Far below, on the surface, a storm of a different kind raged.

Engaged in the second round of her duel with Tamith Kai, Mara Jade hurled herself into an athletic back-flip, tucking her legs so as to land atop the twisted metal hulk that had once been the Sith shuttle. A piece of debris hurled by her opponent whistled in, spinning like a saw blade, but Mara smashed it aside with her lightsaber.

The Dathomiran warrior spread out her hand and sent a flickering burst of Force Lightning up at Mara, but the former Emperor's Hand nimbly dodged it with another acrobatic flip.

As soon as her boots hit the dry red ground, Mara whirled in an advancing slash, angling her blade low. Tamith Kai leaped over the slash, but as soon as her boots hit the ground in turn, she lashed out with a spin kick, alternating lightsaber slashes and kicks with her lizard-skin boots.

Mara parried the slashes and dodged the kicks, lashing back with a few strikes of her own when she could get them in.

"You know, something occurs to me, Tamith Kai," Mara said as she slashed out with a long right-to-left diagonal strike.

"And what is that, traitor?" Tamith Kai replied, catching the strike on her scarlet blade before whirling to bring one of her own around.

"All those times that you and I sparred in the Temple," Mara went on, advancing with a series of wide, curving slashes, "you didn't win a single match. Want to know why that was?"

Tamith Kai twisted out of the way of one of Mara's stabs, going on the offensive herself with a pattern of horizontal sweeps. "Do enlighten me," she said as their blades locked.

"You never did learn to mind your surroundings," Mara said with a grin.

Tamith Kai's eyes narrowed in suspicion, just in time for her to leap to the side as a piece of rubble Mara had been levitating rocketed in at her. This, exactly as Mara planned, put her in line for a _second_ piece of rubble thrown in by Luke.

The jagged chunk of rock struck the Dathomiran in the back, and she stumbled forward. Mara's lightsaber lanced out, and the Sith woman's momentum toppled her onto the blade.

Tamith Kai let out only a grunt of pain, her face remaining stoically expressionless as she slid off the glowing magenta blade and collapsed to the ground. Her head slumped to the side, her ebony braids slipping down to cover her face.

Mara pushed her hair back over her shoulders with one hand as Luke approached, his own emerald weapon held loosely in one hand.

"Thanks, Skywalker," Mara said, gesturing to the fallen Dathomiran with her lightsaber. "How many more of them are there?"

Luke glanced back over his shoulder, glancing around the battlefield at the Sith warriors and Imperial troopers trading blaster bolts and Force energy. "Not more than a dozen, I'd guess," he said.

"How's Vader doing?" Mara said, peering through the storm of laser fire and crackling Force Lightning to where two scarlet lightsabers crashed against one another at the other end of the valley.

The clouds above them swirled with sudden hurricane-force wind that howled down through the valley, kicking up dust and debris. Mara held up a hand to shield her eyes, taking shelter with Luke behind a mound of rock knocked loose from the cliff walls during the shuttle crash. Through the wind and flying dust, Mara could see the two Sith Lords' lightsabers; one was held high and out at an angle, as if its wielder had his arms stretched wide. The other was low to the ground, angled in a defensive diagonal line as its wielder crouched away from the fury of the storm. At this distance, and through the dust cloud, Mara could not see which lightsaber belonged to which Sith Lord.

As the wind surged through the valley, the clouds above drew down in a massive spiral, looking like nothing so much as the accretion disc of a black hole or a maelstrom made of smoke. Lightning flickered within the cloud, glowing purple-white ribbons of energy that crackled and sparked out to smash into the ground in random patterns. Stone chips sprayed from each point of impact, pelting the temporarily halted combatants with bruising rain.

Lightning lashed down from the cloud in punishing whips, smashing again and again into the ground where one Sith Lord crouched, vainly trying to defend himself from his opponent's overwhelming elemental assault.

The Force boiled in as turbulent a storm as the one raging around them, making it impossible to sense anything with accuracy. Mara tried, but could not tell which Sith Lord was the attacker and which was the target of the storm.

Onwards it raged, growing with an intensity fueled by the Dark Side.

* * *

Han Solo gripped the controls of his starship tightly, keeping a wary eye on the star-flecked expanse of space outside the cockpit viewports. The _Millennium Falcon_ left Naboo's atmosphere behind, headed for the _Executor_ and _Home One_, around which the ragged remnants of the Alliance fleet floated, steeling themselves for the return of Isard and her mutineers.

Moments ago, a broad-band comm transmission had swept through the system, overriding the programming of any holoprojector, display screen, and comm array to display a news recording of the Imperial Senate near-unanimously voting to remove Darth Vader from power. Coruscant was now under the control of forces loyal to Director Isard and Grand Vizier Pestage's conspiracy, and a bloody second civil war had already erupted between the mutineers' forces and the elements of the Imperial military still loyal to Vader.

After the end of the news report, Director Isard had transmitted from the bridge of her new command ship one final chance for surrender. Both Admiral Ackbar and Grand Admiral Thrawn had transmitted back with refusals, and so Isard was on her way with her enormous fleet, which had now swelled to ten times or more its original number.

The Alliance fleet was down to perhaps six-eighths its original number; Han didn't even want to think about how outnumbered they were. If Threepio were here, he'd probably be rattling off the odds right now, but today was _definitely_ a day Han Solo didn't want to hear odds.

Beside him, Chewbacca made final checks of their temperamental freighter's systems. The _Falcon_ was behaving itself today, surprisingly; nothing was threatening to overload or fail on them. Han couldn't remember the last time so many of the status lights on the board had been green. Behind him sat Leia, watching for the approaching fleet as pensively as the _Falcon_'s pilots.

The first white specks of Imperial Star Destroyers swooped into view, opening fire immediately as they reverted from lightspeed. Wave after wave appeared, their numbers swelling until it seemed as if there was no direction Han could look that was not occupied by the white, angled shape of a Star Destroyer or a tremendous dark blue command ship.

Boldly, the _Executor_ accelerated upwards toward the incoming mutineers, its thousands of turbolaser batteries, torpedo launchers, and blaster cannons blazing out at the enemy. Grand Admiral Thrawn fearlessly hurled the Emperor's flagship at the enemy fleet, leading the charge for their side.

"Here we go," Han said grimly. He looked back over his shoulder at Leia. "You and Winter had better go back to the turrets."

Leia nodded determinedly as she stood. She paused for a moment to give Han's shoulder a comforting squeeze, and then she was gone, the cockpit door hissing closed behind her.

"I always knew I was going to go out fighting an Imperial ship," Han said to Chewbacca as he accelerated forward, soaring along the length of the _Executor_. "I just never thought it'd be fighting alongside one, too."

Chewbacca growled his agreement, furry hands moving up to the weapons systems.

"_Freighter _Millennium Falcon," a clipped voice said from the comm, "_this is _Executor. _You are hereby designated Epsilon Leader and given command of TIE Squadron Epsilon. Your target is Super Star Destroyer _Vengeance."

"Acknowledged, _Executor_," Han said. He glanced down at the sensor screen to see two dozen TIE Interceptors and a dozen TIE Bombers dropping into formation behind him. He flipped the comm over to the Epsilon Squadron frequency. "All right, boys, you're with me. Let's hit 'em fast and hit 'em hard. Primary targets are the bridge, deflector control, life support, and engines."

"_Acknowledged, Epsilon Leader_," a flat, emotionless voice replied. "_Targets designated_."

"_Rogue Leader to _Millennium Falcon_,"_ a familiar voice broke in. "_If you guys are going after Isard, we're with you."_

Han grinned. "Thanks, Wedge. We're gonna need all the help we can get."

"_No kidding_," Wedge replied dryly. His voice became businesslike as he issued his orders to the rest of Rogue Squadron. "_All right Rogues, here's the plan; team up with those Interceptors and protect the TIE Bombers. Our primary objective is to get them through the _Vengeance_'s shields so they can start doing some damage. Seven through Twelve, stick with the Interceptors and Bombers. Two through Six, you're with me. We're gonna stay with the _Falcon_ and take care of the enemy fighters._"

Han heard a chorus of acknowledgments as Rogue Squadron adjusted their formation, moving their X-wings into position. He half-smiled to himself; this motley assortment was something he would never have imagined a week ago.

Epsilon Squadron accelerated toward the enemy command ship, dodging turbolaser bolts from the arrayed Star Destroyers. A swarming cloud of enemy TIE fighters swooped in toward them, blaster cannons spitting green death.

"_Here we go!_" a Rogue shouted over the squadron frequency. "_This one's for Biggs!_"

Lasers blazing, the ships of Epsilon Squadron leaped at the enemy.

* * *

On the bridge of _Home One_, Admiral Ackbar surveyed the battleground. Even with the titanic _Executor_ on their side, the Alliance ships were still wildly outnumbered. Today would be freedom's last stand, the last chance for the forces devoted to restoring peace and justice to the galaxy to make a difference.

Perhaps they would not leave this battle alive, Ackbar mused, but they would still fight on. History would remember this day, no matter the outcome. Perhaps, even if they did not succeed here, their example would inspire others to take up their cause. Despite all the destruction and death that would occur here, some good would come of this battle.

Grimly, Ackbar gripped the arms of his command chair and gave the order to charge. His mighty flagship moved into position next to the _Executor_, dwarfed by its counterpart but no less determined. Around them, Garm Bel Iblis' fleet of _Katana_-class Dreadnaughts opened fire with their turbolasers, hurling themselves at the menacing white Star Destroyers. Fighters swarmed everywhere around and between the capital ships, trading blaster bolts and torpedoes.

"Admiral, sensors report multiple contacts emerging from hyperspace beyond the second moon," one of the Mon Calamarian officers reported.

"More Imperial ships?" Ackbar asked, dreading the answer.

"No, sir," the officer reported, astonished. "Preliminary readings indicate… civilian ships!"

"What?" Ackbar said in surprise.

"Incoming transmission from the freighter _Wild Karrde_, sir!" the comm officer reported. "It's from General Calrissian!"

"Put it through," Ackbar ordered.

"_I hope I'm not too late for the party,_" the gambler's voice said from the bridge speakers. "_I had to stop off to get a few extra guests._"

"_Wild Karrde, _this is Admiral Ackbar," the Mon Cal admiral said. "General Calrissian, who are these people?"

"_Reinforcements, sir,_" Lando replied. Ackbar could imagine the gambler's grin.

"_Admiral Ackbar, this is Talon Karrde_," a new human male voice said. "_The ships of my organization and those of my allies are at your disposal. Please designate targets._"

Ackbar could hardly believe his good luck; the sensor readings on his screen indicated that there were more than three hundred heavily armed vessels inbound, some of them launching fighters. The odds were still not good, but now they were far better than they had been.

The Mon Cal admiral gave Talon Karrde, whoever he was, an instant unofficial rank. "Commodore Karrde," he said, "assign your ships to eliminate as many of the enemy command ships as possible. Primary targets are Super Star Destroyers _Vengeance, Night Hammer, Razor's Kiss, Intimidator_, and _Enforcer."_

"_Commodore, hmm?_" Karrde said amusedly. "_Acknowledged, _Home One. _What about _Executor?"

"_This is Grand Admiral Thrawn to Commodore Karrde,_" the Imperial commander's voice said over the command frequency. "_Designate _Executor_ and its fighters as friendly, repeat, friendly."_

"Confirmed, _Wild Karrde_," Ackbar said. "_Executor_ is on our side."

"_Someone's going to have to explain this to me later,_" said Karrde. "_You heard the man. All ships, designate _Executor_ and its support craft as friendly. Pick your targets and do some damage, people."_

His spirits bolstered, Ackbar returned his attention to the fleet. Keeping a careful eye on the placement of enemy vessels, Ackbar ordered his ships to the positions where they could do the most good, protecting one another at times and going on the offensive at other times.

On the command frequency, Ackbar kept a running dialogue with Grand Admiral Thrawn, Garm Bel Iblis, and General Calrissian and Talon Karrde aboard the smuggler's flagship, pooling their collective resources to develop the best possible strategy. The collection of so many keen strategic minds enabled the Alliance fleet to hold its own against the vast forces of Director Isard, but Ackbar knew they could not last forever.

On the tactical screen, the _Executor_ brought the full force of its turbolaser batteries and torpedo emplacements upon the _Intimidator_. Though the two ships were of the same class, Darth Vader's personal ship was much more heavily armed and armored, possessing almost twice the number of weapons emplacements that were standard for its class, along with triple-thick layers of armor plating and overlapping redundant shields.

As Ackbar watched, _Executor_'s guns ripped through the other Super Star Destroyer mercilessly, blasting it to shreds. _Intimidator_ bloomed with fire and debris clouds from multiple hull breaches before its running lights went dark, the engines sputtered out, and the dead hulk drifted up and away from the Emperor's flagship on the momentum of the continuing fusillade.

All thoughts of the rest of the battle vanished from the minds of Ackbar and his crew as they watched, mesmerized, what Thrawn did next.

Under the Grand Admiral's command, the _Executor_ seized its former sister ship with tractor beams and used the dead hulk as a sort of improvised shield, pulling the _Intimidator_ along like an umbrella as it advanced toward the enemy formation.

Isard's _Vengeance_ and dozens of other ships targeted the _Executor_, but the wreckage of the _Intimidator_ took the brunt of their fire, until finally Thrawn shoved the _Intimidator_ up and away from the _Executor_ to sail directly into the enemy formation. _Executor_'s guns fired on the hulk, targeting the rear of the ship, and when the wreck had gotten far enough inside the mutineers' lines, its hypermatter reactor detonated in a sun-bright explosion.

Ackbar automatically raised a hand to shield his eyes from the glare, visible even through the bridge viewports' protective coating that flickered opaque, and when the viewports cleared, he saw that a large number of enemy Star Destroyers were aflame or destroyed, crippled and drifting.

Out of the flaming debris cloud came the _Executor_ with all guns blazing, roaring down like a hammer of judgment upon the next ships in the enemy formation.

Emboldened, Ackbar gave the order for the Alliance fleet to fill the hole _Executor_ had blasted through the enemy line. "All batteries, fire!"

As the mutineers were about to learn, cornering some beasts only made them all the more fierce.

Ships exploded all around them as the Alliance fleet followed the spearhead of the _Executor_ deeper into the enemy formation, some of them their own, but still they pressed on.

* * *

Han made his vessel dance through the hurricane of light that raged around him, in complete union with his ship. The _Falcon_ seemed an extension of Han's own body as he flew like he'd never flown before, dodging shrapnel and turbolaser blasts alike. Adrenaline flooded his system, ratcheting all his senses to hyper-awareness.

Ships exploded in violent fury on all sides, erupting with huge gouts of flame and atmosphere as death-blows pierced them through their figurative hearts. The comm chattered with a multitude of voices, but Han pushed it all to the background, accelerating toward his target for all his beloved ship was worth.

The _Vengeance_ loomed ahead, swelling to fill his entire viewport as he drew closer, leading a pack of avenging hounds bent on taking down their massive prey. Han felt the _Falcon_ rock and shudder as he forced his way through the outer shields, all weapons blazing at the swarm of fighters surrounding them.

Han twisted the _Falcon _ through a dizzying series of loops and swerves, heading inexorably for the bridge of the behemoth. Turbolaser bolts flashed past him as he pushed his vessel ever forward, intent on his target.

But then, the blaster-fire outside gradually trickled off as the sensors of every vessel reported a massive incoming contact emerging from hyperspace on the edge of the battleground. Han was close enough to see the incoming ship, which entered the field straight 'up' relative to the _Vengeance_.

The hyperspace tunnel opened, and a great black _thing_ came crawling out from between the stars. It was huge, at least as massive as a Super Star Destroyer, but the lines were different; thicker, sharper, and more menacing. Most riveting was some kind of tremendous weapon emplacement that jutted down and backwards from the bow like a predatory sea creature's fin. Running lights and viewports gleamed along the enormous battleship's lines, giving distinction to the obsidian-black shape.

It looked like nothing so much as a ghost ship from an ancient legend, come to wreak vengeance upon those who dared disturb its rest.

For several seconds, Han could only stare at the monstrosity, until he finally gave voice to the only words to which he could give coherent thought:

"What in all nine hells is _that?_"

* * *

On Korriban, the Force-fueled storm raged down the length of the Valley of the Dark Lords, smashing a tumbling black-garbed figure further and further along the dry, wind-whipped ground toward the sheer drop at the end of the valley.

Luke squinted through the clouds of red dirt, trying to make out the figure's identity, but he could see only a vague shape.

Finally, the winds calmed and the dust began to settle. The battered figure slowly staggered to its feet, deactivated lightsaber clenched in one hand. As the Sith Lord turned back toward the main battleground of the valley, Luke saw with a sinking feeling in his stomach that one of the figure's eyes was a glowing blue.

Darth Vader's chest heaved as he weaved unsteadily on his feet, trying to recover from the tremendous beating his apprentice had just given him with the power of the Dark Side. His cloak hung in ragged tatters from his shoulders, fluttering in shredded ribbons behind him in the slowly dying wind. His beard was stained with blood on one side, running from the corner of his mouth, and an angry burn mark swept back from his temple into his hairline, above the patch-like lens for his prosthetic, which was cracked with white spidery lines.

Darth Nova strode almost calmly out of the slowly settling dust cloud, his blood-red lightsaber gripped in one hand, while he raised his other to point at his former Sith Master.

Vader raised his lightsaber, about to ignite it, but a powerful stream of Force Lightning erupted from Nova's hand and spiraled out to impact him solidly in the center of his chest. Vader cried out in pain, staggering backwards under the assault. He stopped on the very edge of the cliff, gathering himself for a counterattack, but Nova increased the strength of his lightning, adding a Force push.

As Luke watched in horror, his father toppled backwards over the edge of the cliff and was gone.

Nova ceased his stream of lightning and slowly turned to stare over at where Luke and Mara crouched, his yellow eyes gleaming in the eternal twilight.

"Now," he said, baring his teeth in a malicious, predatory grin, "it's _your_ turn."

* * *

-/\\-


	36. III,8: A Bright Shining Light

-/\\-

* * *

**Eight**  
(A Bright Shining Light)

"It looks like an Imperial ship," Han said to Chewbacca, staring at the tremendous black monstrosity that had just reverted from hyperspace at the edge of the battle. "Not a class I've ever seen before, though."

The Wookiee barked his agreement, adding a further conjecture on the enormous weapon emplacement on the prow.

"You're right," Han said, peering at the new ship. "Looks like some kind of giant turbolaser array." He glanced back down at the Super Star Destroyer _Vengeance_, along which they and the assorted fighters he commanded flew, then back up at the black titan above them. "The better question is, whose side is this thing on?"

As if in answer, the huge obsidian vessel's superlaser array glowed green and then fired a massive bolt thicker around than most ships. Han watched in horror as the superlaser bolt lanced out directly at _Home One_.

But at the last moment, just before impact, Han realized the trajectory was wrong; the superlaser blast slid past the Mon Calamarian vessel with a quarter kilometer to spare and slammed into one of Isard's Star Destroyers. The angular white vessel erupted with fire, its pierced reactor detonating violently.

"One shot!" Han crowed, hardly able to believe what he had just seen. "That thing just took out a Star Destroyer with _one shot_!"

Chewie let out an ear-shattering howl of exultation, pumping his furry arms in the air.

"_This is Baron Soontir Fel aboard the Imperial Star Dreadnought _Eclipse," a deep, authoritarian voice announced in a broad-spectrum comm transmission. "_Director Isard, your ships are hereby ordered to stand down and surrender to the authority of Emperor Skywalker_." Fel paused for a moment. "_If you do not comply, I will open fire again, this time upon your command ship."_

"_Vader no longer has any authority,_" Isard snapped back over the same frequency. "_All ships, target the _Eclipse! _I want that thing gone, now!_"

The Star Destroyers of Isard's fleet wheeled around and unleashed a furious barrage on the _Eclipse_, but the black titan weathered the assault stoically, returning fire with its own turbolaser batteries while its main weapon recharged.

"Executor _to Epsilon Leader_," Grand Admiral Thrawn's voice said from the comm. "_Keep your squadron on target. Eliminate the _Vengeance_ as quickly as possible._"

"Acknowledged," Han replied. He reached out and hit the 'mute' on his own microphone. "Doesn't ask for much, does he?" he said sarcastically, exchanging a glance with Chewbacca. "Sure, I'll take my sixty-year-old freighter and some fighters and take out a Super Star Destroyer all by myself." Han scoffed. "We can't all be so lucky as to have giant laser guns on our ships, buddy."

Chewbacca snuffled in amusement, adjusting controls. He glanced warily up at the _Eclipse,_ which was wheeling itself around for another shot, its superlaser array charging.

The _Falcon_ and the rest of Epsilon Squadron swooped down the length of the _Vengeance_, weapons at the ready.

* * *

Luke ignited his emerald lightsaber, shifting his feet in the dry red Korriban dust to meet Darth Nova's charge. He heard a second lightsaber ignite next to him, and he turned his head to glance over at Mara, who met his eyes over her magenta blade, nodding once.

Nova leaped straight at Luke, his lightsaber gripped in both hands for a powerful overhand smash. Luke angled his blade and caught the smash, gritting his teeth as he bent his knees to absorb the force of the blow.

Immediately, Mara slashed down at Nova's back, but the Sith Lord twisted out of the way, whipping his lightsaber around for a return strike. He and Mara crossed blades three times before Luke advanced, thrusting his weapon at Nova's heart.

With a burst of Force-enhanced speed, Nova slapped Luke's lightsaber away with his own, lashing out with his boot in the same motion to knock Mara backwards. She backed away two steps, avoiding the kick, and lunged back in, whirling her blade in a looping spiral pattern at Nova.

The Sith Lord gestured, and one of the fallen Sith warriors' lightsabers leaped into his free hand. He activated the blade and, moving with deadly agility, whirled both lightsabers through defensive patterns, holding them both at bay.

Over the humming and sparking of their lightsabers, Luke heard continuing blaster fire behind them as the surviving Royal Guards, stormtroopers, and Malysa engaged the remaining Sith warriors.

Luke and Mara kept Nova busy, attacking too frequently to allow the Sith Lord to use the Force against them. This duel was purely down to lightsaber skills now.

The Force flowed strongly between Luke and Mara, joining them in a bond so deep that they moved and almost thought as one, needing no words to communicate.

Darth Nova wove a web of scarlet light with his lightsabers, whipping his blades through patterns so rapid they were as much offensive as defensive. He caught one of Luke's slashes on his right blade, then slashed up at the young Jedi's head with his left.

Luke jerked his head out of the way, and in the pause this provided, Mara advanced, sweeping her blade in a diagonal slash at Nova's torso. The Sith Lord bent his knees and ducked down, angling both blades behind his back to catch Mara's slash, then spun with a sweep kick that knocked Luke's legs out from under him. In the same motion, Nova thrust upward at Mara's chest with one of his lightsabers.

She twisted out of the way, but Nova's blade still came so close it scorched a hole in her tunic over her stomach.

Nova jumped to his feet, sweeping his other blade around at her neck, but Mara caught the strike on her blade, shifting it quickly to block his next strike, as well. Luke could see a burn on Mara's stomach through the hole in her tunic, but through their bond he sensed her ignoring the pain.

He rolled to his feet, leaping over with a jump strike at Nova, but the Sith Lord caught Luke's blow on one of his lightsabers, deflecting Mara's next strike away with his other weapon. Nova tensed his legs and hurled himself into a long back-flip over the mound of rubble behind which Luke and Mara had taken cover, forcing them to advance around it.

They went in opposite directions, circling around from both sides, but Nova took advantage of the momentary pause to launch a powerful concussive blast at Mara, which knocked her backwards several meters to land at the feet of one of the Sith warriors, who stabbed down with her lightsaber.

Luke had to shift himself to defend against Nova's assault, but at the back of his mind he sensed Mara leaping to her feet to engage her new opponent.

Alone, Luke could only defend as Nova battered him with both his lightsabers and a powerful mental attack through the Force, trying to overwhelm his shields. The young Jedi let the Force guide his hands, angling his lightsaber to catch what blows he could and twisting his body to avoid those he could not.

After a few moments, Luke gathered the Force to himself and released it in a tremendous telekinetic push against his opponent. Nova sailed backwards through the air, but midway through his tumble he exerted the Force to steady his descent and landed on both feet, arms spread for balance.

Luke charged, going on the offensive now. His single blade whirled around and through both of Darth Nova's, moving faster and faster as Luke worked to overcome his opponent's defenses.

Nova crossed his lightsabers to catch one of Luke's strikes, and then, holding the young Jedi back with one blade, opened his fingers to send out more Force Lightning.

Luke tried to twist aside to dodge the blast, but they were too close together and most of the lightning hit him anyway. He stumbled back, crying out as fire raced through every nerve. He sensed Mara trying to get past her opponent to help him, but there were too many Sith between her and Luke.

Finally, Luke tripped on a chunk of rubble and fell to the ground, his clothes smoking from the assault. Nova deactivated one of his lightsabers and clipped it to his belt, slowly stalking forward to strike again.

"_Stand firm!_" a voice said within his mind.

He saw a flash of Obi-Wan's face, and along with it, Luke felt as if a great wave of light swept through him, washing away the pain.

Nova's eyes narrowed in suspicion, and he barely had time to snatch his other lightsaber from his belt before Luke leaped to his feet and ignited his own weapon, bringing it around in a long, curving slash.

The Sith Lord caught the strike, but Luke was already angling his blade to strike again, spinning to sweep the ruby lightsabers out of the way. He delivered a solid kick to the center of Nova's chest, knocking the Starkiller back a few steps, and he charged again, reversing his grip on his lightsaber to stab down at the Sith Lord's chest.

Nova crossed his lightsabers again and halted the blade, but the tip of Luke's emerald weapon came so close to his heart that it burned a hole in his uniform. Luke redoubled his efforts, straining with all the strength his muscles could provide to force his blade downwards another few centimeters, but Nova's muscles bulged within his own sleeves, holding him back.

Finally, Nova swept one of his lightsabers at Luke's chest, trying to cut him in half, but Luke pulled himself back, escaping with nothing more than another hole in his loose-fitting tunic.

"You do not have to share your father's fate," Nova said as he backed away a pace, building momentum for another charge. He slammed both his blades repeatedly against Luke's, trying to wrench the emerald blade from the young Jedi's hands. "Join with me, become my new apprentice, and I will show you power such as you have never dreamed!"

Luke spun to the side, avoiding the thrust of one blade as he parried the slash of another. Behind him, he heard the whine of repulsorlifts, and through the Force he felt the powerful surge of a familiar presence.

Both he and Nova glanced behind to see Vader's shuttle hovering over the end of the valley with Vader himself standing atop it, a lightsaber in his hand.

With a long, somersaulting flip, Vader launched himself from the roof of his shuttle to land next to his son, dropping to one knee with one hand on the ground to brace himself.

In his other hand, Luke saw, the lightsaber hilt was not the black of the Sith Master's usual weapon, but gleaming chrome. When his father stood and ignited the blade, a sky-blue beam extended out with a sharp _snap-hiss_.

"I will never join you," Luke said to Nova, raising his lightsaber. "I am a Jedi, like my father before me."

Vader looked over at his son, mixed emotions on his face, but raised the weapon he had wielded as Anakin Skywalker into a mirrored position.

"Very well," said Nova. "You can both die, then."

Dropping his lightsabers so that the blades sank into the ground, he raised both hands and unleashed a twisting rope of lightning from each palm. Father and son caught the lightning on their blades, bracing themselves against the assault, then as one, charged at Nova.

Nova held out his hands, and his weapons leaped back into his palms as Luke and Vader swung their blades at him simultaneously. He caught both strikes, crossing his blades to strike back and then uncrossing them to strike again, backing up a pace. He shifted to the side to avoid Vader's next thrust, then spun to slam both blades against Luke's lightsaber. Luke allowed the force of the blades to move his lightsaber out and down, but he spun with the movement to bring his blade back in a looping counterstrike.

Nova ducked under Luke's slash, crossing his blades in an X to catch Vader's overhand smash above his head.

Father and son moved again to engage their mutual enemy, lightsabers moving with furious speed.

* * *

Several dozen meters away, a pale-haired Sith warrior stealthily moved around the edge of the battlefield, intending to circle around behind Mara Jade and cut her down while she was distracted with his fellow Sith.

But as he stepped over Tamith Kai's prone body, one of the Dathomiran warrior's hands shot out and seized his ankle.

The platinum-haired Sith let out a startled curse that turned into an agonized scream as Tamith Kai drained the life from him with the Force, ripping the energy she needed to heal her wound from his body. The ebony-haired warrior grabbed the front of her unfortunate ally's robes and pulled herself to her feet. As he stared at her in disbelief, she drained the last of his energy, not even bothering to look down as his corpse slumped to the ground.

Tamith Kai looked down at the hole in her chest, gritting her teeth as she accelerated her body's healing process with the Force, using the energy she had drained from the Sith at her feet. The lightsaber wound sealed over, fading into an angry black-and-red burn as she focused on healing the internal damage.

She was exhausted, still weak from keeping herself alive with the Force, and her reserves were utterly spent. Rage flowed through her, building up her strength, but Tamith Kai knew it would be unwise to charge at Jade again. The other woman was more skilled with a lightsaber, the Dathomiran grudgingly admitted to herself, so if she wanted to avoid a repeat of their last round, she would have to plan this carefully.

Tamith Kai settled for sending a hateful glare down at Jade where the traitor fought her fellow Sith alongside the Emperor's guards and the other traitor, Kolos. She looked over at where Lord Nova fought both Vader and Skywalker at once, holding them at bay for now.

But, she knew, even her master could not hold off two other Force-users as powerful as himself forever.

Slowly, Tamith Kai looked back over her shoulder at where the Emperor's shuttle hovered, its boarding ramp still down, and a grin spread across her face as she thought of a plan.

* * *

Leia watched through the viewport above her turret in the _Millennium Falcon_ as the huge _Eclipse_ fired its main weapon again, the deadly green bolt lancing out to slice the _Night Hammer_ almost in half. With terrible slowness, the Super Star Destroyer buckled, then rocked with multiple explosions as its two halves drifted apart. Other ships scrambled to get out of the way, trying frantically to avoid the freely drifting wreckage.

She had never seen such sheer destructive power before, and she was both aghast and impressed. If Vader possessed a weapon like this, why had he never used it before? His Star Destroyers, both _Imperial_ and _Executor_-class, were capable of incredible destruction, but this titan could wreak devastation on an almost unimaginable scale. What would happen if this superweapon was turned upon a planet's surface? Vader could scour a city from existence with one calculated blow, effectively silencing his enemies with a minimum of effort.

Leia watched as dozens of ships swarmed for the _Eclipse_, racing madly to eliminate the Emperor's secret weapon before it could bring more destruction upon their fleet.

Isard's _Vengeance_ moved in an attempt to join the charge, weapons blazing, but as Leia watched, the _Executor_ slowly spun on its axis, moving so that its dorsal hull and the majority of its weapons emplacements were parallel to the _Vengeance_.

Once the _Executor_ was upside-down from her perspective, it opened fire, ruthlessly tearing into Isard's vessel like it had so many of her other ships. The _Vengeance_ trained all of its weapons onto its former sister ship, though, and Isard gave as good as she got; explosions blossomed from _Executor_'s hull as some of the _Vengeance_'s shots made it through its shields.

The two titanic vessels continued to pound one another with wave after wave of turbolaser fusillades, slamming bolt after bolt into each other's hulls at point-blank range. The view outside Leia's turret spun as Han madly dodged turbolaser bolts, still doggedly leading his squadron for the _Vengeance_'s bridge. Two Interceptors and an X-wing were too slow to avoid several of the raining bolts, and vanished in balls of flame.

Leia fired her turret repeatedly at the swarming TIE fighters launched from _Vengeance'_s hangar bays, working in concert with Winter in the ventral turret to keep the enemy vessels away from the _Falcon_ and _Executor_'s TIE Bombers.

"_Two from the left,_" Winter's voice said calmly through her headset.

Leia swiveled, aimed, and fired, sending red bolts of fire out at the enemy fighters.

An errant turbolaser bolt smashed into the _Falcon_'s starboard rear side, flipping the ship end over end as Han and Chewbacca wrestled with the controls, straining to bring their ship back under control. Leia heard an ominous thumping noise from deep within the ship, and suddenly her nostrils were filled with acrid smoke.

Her eyes streaming, Leia pulled off her headset and scrambled, coughing, out of her turret's chair and down the ladder. The ship's wild gyrations tore her hands away from the ladder's rungs, and Leia tumbled into the main hold, landing heavily on the deckplates before sliding over to crash into the back of the acceleration couch.

"_Chewie, go see what that is," _Han's voice said over the intercom. "_Leia, get up here!"_

Leia braced herself against the back of the acceleration couch, trying to keep her balance as Han slung his ship around and between the continuing storm of turbolaser blasts. She was about to lurch away from the couch and scramble down the passageway to the cockpit when she spotted a hand reaching up from the ventral turret well, smeared with soot and blood.

She allowed the ship's next violent swerve to throw her across the compartment, slowing herself with the Force as she slid over to the turret well. Leia grabbed Winter's hand and used both the Force and her own strength to haul her friend up into the main hold.

Coughing violently, her white hair and uniform stained and streaked with soot, Winter nodded her thanks as she pulled herself further into the hold. "Turret… overloaded," she rasped, bringing up one hand to massage her throat. She was bleeding from a cut on her forehead, Leia saw.

Leia paused only long enough to grab one of the emergency medkits out of a storage compartment on the wall, then pulled Winter along with her to the cockpit. Chewbacca passed them on their way in, growling to himself in his language as he snatched his box of tools out of another compartment.

As Leia and Winter entered the cockpit, she glanced back to see Chewbacca spraying foam from a handheld extinguisher into the turrets, where bright tongues of fire now licked at the walls from the ventral well.

"The turrets are gone," Leia reported as she sank into the huge copilot's chair. She handed the medkit back to Winter as she took over for Chewbacca, running her eyes over the status board.

"Great," Han said between clenched teeth as he rolled the _Falcon_ to one side. "We still got… missile launchers… don't we?"

Leia looked down at the status board. "Yes," she said, placing her hands on the controls.

"Give 'em a full spread when I say!" Han shouted, aiming the _Falcon_ at the _Vengeance'_s command tower.

Leia curled her hands around the firing controls, letting her eyes fall half-closed in concentration as she gathered the Force around herself.

* * *

Isard winced as sparks erupted from a station nearby. The bridge lights flickered and dimmed, multiple alarms wailing as the _Executor_'s barrage took its toll.

"Prepare for maximum acceleration!" Isard shouted back at the bridge crew, her voice rough from the smoke flooding into the bridge.

"Director?" the helmsman said confusedly, staring up at her.

"We're going to ram them!" Ysanne shouted, her eyes blazing with fury.

The _Vengeance_ couldn't take much more of this, she knew. But she was _damned_ if she wasn't going to take Thrawn with her!

"Incoming ship!" the sensor officer called over the screeching alarms.

Isard whirled back toward the bridge viewports, just in time to see the _Millennium Falcon_ approaching with reckless speed.

* * *

"Fire!" Han shouted.

Leia squeezed the firing controls, launching a full spread of concussion missiles directly at the _Vengeance_'s bridge.

* * *

The Director's eyes widened in horror as the missiles careened in at her, joined by multiple torpedoes launched from the X-wings accompanying the Corellian freighter.

Ysanne Isard screamed in frustrated defiance until the missiles smashed into the bridge viewports and the resulting explosion completely obliterated her Super Star Destroyer's command tower.

* * *

On the bridge of the _Wild Karrde_, Lando Calrissian let out a whoop as he saw the _Vengeance'_s command tower explode. "Way to go, Han!" he cheered.

In the command chair next to him, the smuggler captain Talon Karrde grinned broadly beneath his dark beard. Several of his bridge crew whooped as well, watching as the decapitated _Vengeance_ slowly listed to one side, drifting down and away from the _Executor_.

Above them, the _Eclipse_ lashed out with its superlaser and decimated half a dozen Star Destroyers with its massive beam, damaging twice as many others with the resultant explosion and debris cloud.

Karrde leaned forward, sharp eyes flicking back and forth between the bridge viewports and the tactical display mounted next to the arm of his chair. "All Alliance vessels, this is Karrde," he said. "_Razor's Kiss_ is using her tractor beams to try and sling what's left of the _Night Hammer_ at the _Eclipse_. Get in there and stop her!"

The _Wild Karrde_'s turbolasers fired again and again as it soared at the head of a formation of smugglers' vessels toward the enormous Imperial ship.

A direct hit from one of the turbolasers on the _Razor's Kiss_ rocked the _Wild Karrde_, and sparks sprayed out from the pilot's console. The pilot cried out in pain and slumped from his chair, collapsing to the deck.

Even before Karrde could ask, Lando ducked into the pilot's chair, waving away the smoke as his hands flew over the controls. The console was hot beneath his fingers, but still functional. Lando glanced back once as one of the other crewmembers dragged the pilot back out of the way and helped him onto a stretcher held by another crewman, then returned his attention to flying.

"Almost there!" he called over his shoulder to the _Wild Karrde_'s captain.

"_Etherway_ and _Starry Ice_, lock cannons on tractor beam emplacements and launch a full spread of torpedoes on my order," said Karrde.

Lando pushed the vessel for all it was worth, accelerating wildly toward the sole remaining Super Star Destroyer still under enemy control. "We're in range!" he reported.

Karrde leaned forward in his seat, eyes locked on the approaching Imperial vessel. "Fire!" he ordered.

Dozens of blaster bolts, missiles, and torpedoes flocked out toward the tractor beam emplacements on the _Razor's Kiss_.

As Lando watched anxiously, the tractor beams flickered out under the resultant explosions, and the forward half of the _Night Hammer_ drifted upwards, still moving towards the _Eclipse_ but a good deal more slowly than was the captain of the _Razor's Kiss_' intention.

The _Eclipse_ fired its superlaser again and obliterated the hulk well before impact. Lando wrestled with the controls, trying to keep the _Wild Karrde_ steady as they weathered the shockwave from the explosion. He dodged chunks of wreckage, some of which were bigger than the smuggling vessel itself, and glanced back at its captain, who sat with his hands gripping the arms of his chair.

"Keep going!" Karrde ordered. "Let's take out her engines before she can recover!"

The smuggling ships pressed on, dodging fireballs and turbolaser bolts as they swooped down toward their goal.

* * *

Han choked on the smoke pouring into the cockpit from all the damaged systems on his freighter, seeking any safe place to land.

The _Executor_'s hangar bay beckoned, and he accelerated towards it with all that was left of his damaged engines. The _Falcon_'s engines whined and strained as he twisted the ship through another series of wild maneuvers, dodging flying laser bolts and the crowd of fighters still engaged in fierce dogfights around the wreckage of the _Vengeance_.

With a sigh of relief that turned to a coughing fit halfway through, Han got his clearance from the officer on deck in the hangar bay and set his ship down, deactivating all systems as quickly as he could.

Pulling Leia and Winter along behind him, Han dashed for the hatch and slapped the controls. As the ramp lowered, blessedly cool air flooded into the main hold.

An Imperial firefighting crew rushed up the ramp as soon as it hit the deck, extinguishers in hand, and Han left them to it, stumbling down the ramp and out into the stark, brightly lit hangar bay. Behind him came Leia, Winter, and Chewbacca, who stopped only long enough to grab a breath mask before going back in to lock down the damaged systems. The two women moved away from the smoking freighter, coughing on the smoke still billowing from the hatchway.

Han leaned against the hull of his starship, watching the battle outside through the force-field at the mouth of the cavernous hangar bay.

* * *

Tamith Kai sprinted through the battlefield toward the end of the Valley of the Dark Lords, intent on the shuttle hovering a few meters beyond the edge of the cliff.

With a long, Force-enhanced leap, Tamith Kai cleared the edge of the cliff and landed heavily on the boarding ramp below the shuttle's cockpit. Fire flared within her chest, radiating out from her wound, but the Dathomiran warrior pushed the pain aside and hauled herself to her feet, scrambling up the ramp and inside the shuttle.

She turned and ran into the cockpit, where she found a blue-and-white astromech droid at the controls, a computer probe extended into a port on the console.

Tamith Kai ignited her lightsaber, moving forward to smash the droid away from the console, but the astromech's domed head swiveled back to regard her and it shrieked in electronic terror, rapidly withdrawing its probe from the port.

The Sith warrior lashed out with her lightsaber, but the droid opened a panel on its head and sprayed a cloud of flame retardant at her. Tamith Kai stumbled back, coughing on the fumes, and squinted through the cloud, trying to see the droid so that she could destroy it.

Whistling and bleeping to itself in panic, the astromech pushed past her and raced back into the rear compartment, where it careened down the ramp and out into the open air.

Tamith Kai leaped forward to grab the controls of the shuttle before it could go out of control, using the Force to push the cloud of retardant back out of the cockpit so that she could see. She recognized the barrel shape of the astromech using rockets mounted in its legs to fly to the relative safety of the valley floor, and she sneered, reaching for the firing controls to blast the little annoyance out of the air.

But, by the time she located them, the droid had already landed and moved out of the way, rolling as fast as it could behind a fallen pillar to use as cover. She dismissed it from her mind, returning to her original plan.

The Force surged in alarm, directing her attention downwards, and Tamith Kai spit a curse in her native language as she saw Mara Jade sprinting determinedly toward the shuttle. As Jade leaped, Tamith Kai hauled up on the controls and pulled the shuttle back out of reach.

She grinned in satisfaction as Jade missed her jump and started to fall down past the edge of the cliff, but her grin turned to a scowl as she saw Malysa Kolos hold out a hand and pull Jade back over the ground with the Force. Tamith Kai fired a burst from the shuttle's blaster cannons at Kolos, driving her back over two fallen pillars that had collapsed against one another.

_Master,_ she sent through the Force to Darth Nova, _get to higher ground, and I will pick you up. Let us trap Vader and his brat here, so that we may return with more warriors to finish him off._

She sensed angry reluctance from her master, but he conceded her point. _We will need no additional warriors_, Nova 'said' with dark amusement. _Tell the rest of the warriors to keep Vader and his guards busy; I will ensure that none but us leave this place alive._

As Tamith Kai realized her master's intention, a slow grin spread across her face. Working quickly, she moved to carry out his orders.

* * *

A well-timed blast from the shuttle's cannons knocked Luke and Vader away from Darth Nova, and the Starkiller immediately withdrew as fast as he could, leaping with long Force-enhanced bounds higher and higher up the side of the cliff until he perched atop one of the statues above the Dark Lords' tombs.

Closing his eyes, Nova stretched out instead through the Force, sending tendrils of his will higher and higher, stretching out into space.

He ripped; he tore; he snatched and he smashed and he wrenched the nuclear fires of the system's star to his will, twisting its inner furnace back upon itself.

As the Dark Side raged within him, fueling his exertions, Nova threw back his head and laughed triumphantly.

* * *

"No!" Vader cried, staring up at his former apprentice atop the Sith statue. "Stop him!"

Luke sprinted for the base of the statue, running alongside his father, but four Sith warriors leaped in to block their way, brandishing ruby lightsabers.

Vader roared with rage, charging in with lightning crackling around one hand as he moved to smash his former students out of his way. Two of them dodged the charge, spinning to bring their lightsabers to bear on his back.

Luke could not help, for he was busy with the other two Sith, a blonde-haired woman and a dark-haired man. The woman swept her hand out, orange ropes of energy twisting from her fingers, but Luke spun aside, seizing her comrade with the Force to hurl him into the path of the energy.

The Sith man screamed in pain as his companion's attack drained the life from his body. The Sith woman shoved him aside, straining to get at Luke, but even as she advanced, she cried out and slumped over her comrade's body, a smoking wound in her back.

Luke looked up to see one of the Royal Guards, armed with a sniper rifle, nod slightly to him over the scope of his weapon. Luke raised his lightsaber in salute before he turned to help his father.

Far above them, the shuttle swooped toward Darth Nova, boarding ramp fully extended.

Vader slashed his lightsaber through the body of one of his opponents and blasted the other in the face with a powerful stream of Force Lightning. He ran forward with Luke at his side, moving to ascend the cliff, but he was too late; even as they approached, Nova leaped from the top of the statue to the shuttle.

"Rifle!" Mara called to the Royal Guardsman.

In one smooth movement, she clipped her lightsaber to her belt with one hand and caught the sniper rifle with the other. She brought her hand up to the stock of the rifle, raised it, and pressed her eye to the scope, tracking the shuttle across the sky.

Luke sent as much energy as he could muster to the woman he loved, doing as much as he could to help bolster her reflexes.

Time seemed to slow down as Mara smoothly moved the barrel of the sniper rifle, drawing deeply upon the Force.

She squeezed the trigger.

A red bolt leaped from the muzzle of the rifle, soared high into the sky and…

Burned straight through Darth Nova's heart.

The Sith Lord tottered for a moment, and then his corpse toppled backwards out of the shuttle, tumbling through the air to land out of sight on the cliff high above them. Luke sensed the flare within the Force as Nova died, watching as a bright blue flash leaped up from the place where his body had landed.

Luke felt like exulting, but his spirits dropped again when the shuttle climbed madly up into the atmosphere, stranding them there.

"He's sent the sun into supernova!" Vader called to the rest of the group.

"Can we stop it?" Luke asked desperately.

Vader shook his head grimly. "No."

Luke sensed Malysa approaching. "What can we-" Her words cut off in a startled, pained scream, and Luke whirled.

Malysa stood a few paces away, a shaft of red light spearing through her chest. Behind her stood a battered, bloody Sith warrior, the last one still standing. The blond-haired man viciously yanked his blade from Malysa's body and shoved her aside, breathing heavily.

"No!" one of the stormtroopers behind the man screamed, yanking off his helmet.

Luke looked past the Sith warrior to see the stormtrooper he recognized as TK-421 throw his helmet aside. His hair was jet-black and slicked back against his scalp with some kind of oil, but it was his face that attracted Luke's attention; TK-421 had Kuati features so similar to Malysa's that he had to be a relative.

With a wordless scream of rage, TK-421 switched his blaster rifle over to full automatic and sprayed the Sith warrior with a vengeful hail of red blaster bolts. The man jerked with dozens of impacts before he finally toppled over backward, collapsing onto the dry red ground.

The rest of the group rushed to Malysa's side. Luke got to her first, but TK-421 shoved him away, dropping to his knees next to her as he cradled her head in his arms.

"Malysa!" the trooper said desperately. "Hang on, Malysa. Hang on!"

Malysa peered up at him in surprise. "Tyraj?" she said weakly.

"I'm here!" said Tyraj. "Just hang on, Lysa, I'm here." He turned frantically to Luke, his dark eyes pleading. "Help her, please!"

"She doesn't have much time," said Mara, kneeling on Malysa's other side across from Luke as both of them stretched out with the Force, sending healing energies into the young woman.

Next to them, Darth Vader stood staring grimly into the sky. "None of us do," he said quietly.

* * *

-/\\-


	37. III,9: In This Moment

-/\\-

* * *

**Nine**  
(In This Moment)

The skies above Naboo were filled with explosions, wreckage, and hundreds of ships racing back and forth in furious battle.

The wreckage of the _Vengeance_ still burned, drifting slowly away as its lights died one by one. The grand schemes of the Director died with it, leaving only a sense of defeat and shame at the mutiny.

On the bridge of the Super Star Destroyer _Razor's Kiss_, Admiral Lorth Needa heaved a resigned sigh as he watched the _Executor_, the _Eclipse,_ and the Rebel ships mercilessly chase the remains of Director Isard's once-mighty fleet around the Naboo system.

"Admiral, a large group of ships is approaching our rear quarter," the junior sensor officer called up to him from the port crew pit. "I believe they are targeting our engines."

Needa made up his mind in that moment. "Give me broad-band," he ordered. "I want this to go out to all ships, even the Rebels."

"Yes, sir," said the comm officer.

* * *

Admiral Piett stood on the command walkway in _Executor_'s bridge, next to Grand Admiral Thrawn. He turned his head as the comm officer looked up at him and said, "Transmission incoming from the _Razor's Kiss_, sir. It's addressed to all ships."

"Put it through," Piett ordered.

"_This is Admiral Lorth Needa of the Imperial Star Destroyer_ Razor's Kiss_,"_ Needa's voice said from the bridge speakers. "_As the surviving senior officer, I hereby take command of the Director's fleet. All ships, stand down. I repeat, stand down._"

Outside, the storm of blaster fire slowly trickled away as first the mutineers' ships ceased fire, then the Alliance commanders ordered their vessels to stand down, as well.

Piett listened in anticipation, hardly daring to believe what he knew he would hear next.

"_Grand Admiral Thrawn_," Needa said, his voice heavy with resignation.

"Here, Admiral," Thrawn said.

A life-size hologram of Admiral Needa flickered into being several meters in front of them on the command walkway.

"_As commander of the fleet,_" Needa began, his posture stiff, with his fists clenched at his sides, "_I hereby surrender these vessels unconditionally to your authority."_

Thrawn paused for only a moment, taking a few steps forward along the walkway with his hands clasped behind his back. "Your surrender is accepted, Admiral," he said finally.

The Grand Admiral turned to pass his gaze across the bridge crew. "Thrawn to all Imperial ships," he said. "Deactivate your weapons systems and await further orders."

"Is it really over?" Piett said excitedly.

Thrawn nodded once. "It is over, Admiral," he replied. "But our most difficult task is yet to come."

Looking out at the wreckage of hundreds of ships drifting outside, Piett took a slow, deep breath. Yes, the fighting was over here in this system, but the rest of the Empire remained to be retaken from the conspirators.

And still, there had been no word from the Emperor.

* * *

On Korriban, Luke knelt at Malysa's side, trying to heal her wound. He could feel her slipping away, though, despite his best efforts and those of Mara.

Malysa's brother Tyraj watched them both anxiously, cradling her head in his lap. Around them stood the surviving stormtroopers and Royal Guards that had accompanied them here, watching as the Jedi tried to heal the young woman.

In the back of his mind, Luke could sense Korriban's sun roiling, its nuclear furnace irreparably damaged. It was only a matter of time before the sun went supernova, taking the rest of the system with it.

But even as Luke began to feel the first creeping fingers of despair wrapping around his heart, he heard the powerful rumble of starship engines.

Astonished, Luke and the others stared up into the sky at the rapidly approaching shape of a ship. As it drew closer, Luke recognized the elongated oval and stabilizer fins of Boba Fett's _Slave I_, and he let his surprise show plainly on his face.

He glanced over at Mara to see her with a similarly surprised expression. "If you'd asked me who was the last person in the galaxy I thought would show up here…" she said, eyes locked on the incoming craft.

"Quickly, move!" Vader barked to his guards.

As _Slave I_ rapidly descended through the atmosphere, pivoting to touch down on the blood-red ground, the Royal Guards and stormtroopers gathered in formation around the Emperor, two of them hanging back to help carry Malysa. R2-D2 twittered to himself in electronic relief as he rolled over to them, stopping next to Vader.

"_Get in!_" Fett's voice blared from external speakers on the outside of his starship._  
_

Tyraj Kolos was the last up the ramp, his helmet in one hand and his sister's lightsaber in the other. "We're in!" he shouted as he ducked through the hatchway.

Fett's starship was already lifting free of the ground, accelerating with a roar from its powerful engines.

Inside, Luke braced himself against the scarred metal wall of the main hold, holding on against the inertial forces threatening to pull his skull down out through his feet. As the inertial dampeners finally caught up with _Slave I_'s acceleration, Luke followed his father up the ladder to the cockpit, where the armored bounty hunter sat, adjusting his systems.

"My thanks for your timely arrival, Hunter Fett," Vader said as he slipped into one of the chairs behind the central console.

"When we get out of here, you can thank me with a bonus to what Thrawn promised," said Fett, not taking his eyes off his instruments. "It's going to be close."

Luke buckled himself into the other chair. "Are there any other ships nearby?" he asked.

"I passed a shuttle on my way in," Fett said, accelerating his sublight engines with one hand while he prepared the hyperdrive with the other. "Otherwise, my sensors aren't picking up anything. We're the only ones in the system."

"The sun is going critical," Vader said, reading one of the sensor readouts over Fett's shoulder.

Fett turned his helmet to look at the reading himself. "The calculations should be finished before the shockwave hits us."

Behind them, Korriban's sun flared into supernova, so blindingly bright that even though Fett's cockpit windows automatically darkened to near opacity, Luke had to shield his eyes with his hand.

_Slave I_ shook and rattled as Fett pushed his sublight engines far beyond their maximum limits. Still, they were not fast enough.

Luke looked over at his father, and by unspoken agreement they joined their power to shield the hunter's vessel with the Force as the leading edge of the shockwave rushed up behind them.

"Hyperspace… now!" Fett strained out against the inertial forces, reaching forward to throw the hyperdrive lever.

_Slave I_ leaped into lightspeed, leaving Korriban far behind.

* * *

Far below them, thousands of years of Sith history were obliterated as the shockwave generated by the supernova destroyed the planet Korriban.

The dry, rocky sphere crumbled into billions of fragments, flying apart before the wall of flame and light destroyed them and everything else in the Horuset system.

On hundreds of worlds, as the light from the supernova expanded outward, a bright spot appeared in the sky to rival even the systems' suns in the daytime, a spectacular grave marker for an entire solar system.

* * *

Tyraj Kolos held his sister's hand in his own, tossing away his armored gauntlet. In this moment, as she lay dying, Tyraj regretted not telling her sooner that he served on the same vessel she did. It had been foolish, he fiercely rebuked himself, not to tell his sister he was here. He had wasted four years he could have spent with her, out of some suspicion that she may not have been as loyal to the Emperor as she appeared.

Her true loyalties no longer mattered to him. What mattered was that she was his sister, and now she was almost gone.

Mara Jade knelt on his sister's other side, eyes closed in concentration as she held her hands over the wound, but Tyraj could tell that the prognosis was not good.

As if she had sensed his anxiousness, Jade opened her eyes and looked over at him. "I'm sorry," she said. "Healing was never one of my strongest abilities."

Tyraj set his mouth in a firm line, nodding gravely as he looked back down at Malysa. She had slipped into unconsciousness, and he feared that her fingers were even now growing cold between his own.

Jade finally sat back on her heels, lowering her hands to her sides. She took a deep breath and slowly let it out, looking up at him sadly. "I'm sorry," she said. "She's gone."

Skywalker's astromech droid whistled sadly, leaning forward slightly on its stumpy legs as if bowing its head in grief.

Tyraj clamped down on his emotions with the iron will given to him by his training, his face hardening into a grim mask. Though he heard footsteps on the cockpit ladder behind him, he did not turn.

"Is she…?" Skywalker asked quietly, walking over to them.

Jade nodded silently. Skywalker reached out his hand, and Jade took it, getting to her feet.

At a second, heavier set of footsteps along the bare metal floor of Boba Fett's vessel, Tyraj stood and whirled to face the Emperor. "Lord Vader, please," he said, fighting to keep his voice steady. "Is there anything you can do for her?"

Darth Vader stared down at Malysa's body for a long moment, until finally he gave a slight nod. He looked over at Skywalker and Jade. "Luke, Mara, I will need your assistance."

Skywalker nodded. He and Jade arranged themselves on either side of Malysa, while Vader moved to kneel by her head.

As Tyraj watched, the three of them joined hands and closed their eyes in concentration, drawing deeply upon the mysterious power they wielded. Tyraj could see nothing, but he felt as though a crackling static charge permeated the air, a bright light whirling around the three of them that was just beyond the limits of his vision.

They sat like this for several long minutes, none of them moving, and Tyraj began to pace impatiently. Just as he began to despair, thinking that they had failed, he noticed the wound in his sister's chest seal over and rapidly fade, healing at a vastly accelerated rate.

Tyraj's spirit soared as his sister suddenly sucked in a deep breath and sat up, clutching one hand to the spot on her chest where the wound had been as her eyes shot open. As Skywalker moved aside, Tyraj dropped to his knees beside his sister and pulled her into a tight embrace, fighting back tears of joy. He felt her arms go around him in return, and he found himself laughing in relief.

"Thank you," he said to Skywalker and Jade.

Then, remembering himself and his Imperial discipline, Tyraj straightened and brought his hand up into a salute as he faced his Emperor, forcing his face back into a soldier's mask.

"Thank you, sir," he said. "If there is anything I can do to repay you, please tell me."

Vader's expression was unreadable, but finally he nodded once in acknowledgment. "Dismissed, trooper," he said. "Go back to your sister."

Tyraj fought the urge to grin, instead turning gravely away from his commander-in-chief to cross back to where Malysa still sat on the deck. When she smiled at him as he approached, his regrets faded away, replaced with a profound sense of relief and lightness of spirit.

* * *

Han paused in repairing the _Millennium Falcon_, watching from his perch atop his beloved freighter as Boba Fett's starship glided into the _Executor_'s hangar bay. The menacing hunting craft hissed and ticked as it cooled down, and Han watched it warily for several moments.

He and his friends had mostly been left alone to fix their ship during the aftermath of the battle, quietly working down in the hangar as Thrawn organized the remnants of the Imperial fleet and began the cleanup, ordering the mutineers to haul the biggest pieces of wreckage out of Naboo airspace while they waited for the Emperor to arrive and pronounce their punishment.

When the hatch opened, the first ones down the ramp were three Royal Guards, their red robes and helmets singed, scorched and filthy with thick red dust. Behind them came several equally battered stormtroopers, blaster rifles held at an angle across their chests, and then the tall dark figure of Darth Vader, whose uniform was also scorched and streaked with red dirt.

Vader seemed to sense Han looking at him, and his eyes passed over the freighter and those working on it, but he said nothing, heading directly out of the hangar without looking back.

Next out of _Slave I_ came Luke, Mara, R2-D2, Malysa Kolos and a stormtrooper who didn't have his helmet on, and last of all, Boba Fett himself.

Everyone except Fett made their way over to the _Falcon_; the bounty hunter himself paused only long enough to fix Han with a cold look behind the T-slit of his Mandalorian helmet before moving off into the depths of the flagship.

Luke waved up at Han, and the Corellian waved back, shifting himself to the edge of the hull. "Everyone's back in one piece, it seems," he said.

"More or less," Malysa called up to him wryly. She turned to Luke. "I'm going to the medical bay."

Luke nodded, waving once as she and the stormtrooper left.

"You missed quite a battle, kid," Han called down. "I was there and I _still_ don't believe it happened."

Mara chuckled wryly. "Same goes for us."

Han waved them over. "Well, come on in and tell us about it; we're gonna be here for a while."

* * *

Several hours later, Darth Vader sat alone in his quarters aboard his flagship _Executor_, exerting every ounce of his will to restrain himself from flying into a terrible rage.

Thrawn and the Rebel fleet had triumphed here today, but the damage was done; his Empire was fragmented and broken, splitting into more factions all the time as the remaining admirals and moffs warred with one another, fighting to claim the title the Senate had proclaimed no longer belonged to him.

They could have it, Vader thought bitterly. If they refused to see, refused to rally beneath his banner to present a strong defense against the threat facing them all, then they were no longer worthy of his rulership.

He had tried through more than twenty years of struggle and upheaval to bring back peace, but the stubborn denizens of this galaxy insisted on rebelling against him, insisted on conspiring and plotting and fighting against him.

Staring out of the wide viewport down at his wife's home planet, Vader made his decision. Crossing to the comm unit, he began his preparations.

* * *

The streets of Theed were filled with overjoyed Naboo celebrating the defeat of Isard's fleet and the sparing of their planet. Inside the Royal Palace, the heroes of the Battle of Naboo and the duel at Korriban gathered for their own celebration. Notably absent were any Imperial personnel besides Tyraj Kolos, who stood with his sister wearing an off-duty uniform.

The Alliance leadership had invited the Imperial commanders down to celebrate the declaration of truce with them, but all declined, remaining behind on their vessels in orbit.

Luke sat on a plush couch in one of the enormous halls in the palace with Mara, listening to their friends' conversations around them.

"All right," Han was saying to Lando, "I want to know two things: One, who's Talon Karrde? Two, how'd you get him and all those other people to come here?"

"Well, after that little maneuver at the Battle of Tanaab," Lando replied, grinning, "let's just say quite a few people owed me one. Now, as for Karrde, he's a smuggler, and a damn good one, too. When Jabba died and Vader seized his holdings, Karrde sort of quietly moved in to take over his territory and operations; if you want something done fast and discreet, he's the guy to go to now."

"So how'd you convince a guy like that to come here and risk his neck for us?" Han asked.

Lando's eyes twinkled as he took a sip from his drink. "Professional secret," he said.

Next to Han, Leia smiled as the Corellian chuckled. "Come on," Han said. "How'd you do it?"

Lando took another slow sip of his drink. "Let's just say I've gotten quite a bit better at sabacc."

Han frowned amusedly. "Fine, keep your secrets, you old pirate."

Lando chuckled. "_You're_ the pirate, Solo."

Luke smiled at the exchange, leaning back in his seat. Next to him, Mara was also watching the party, content to sit with him and listen.

He glanced up as he saw C-3PO moving towards him through the throng of people, shifting around and through gathered knots of people making conversation. R2-D2 trundled along behind him, whistling and beeping.

"Oh, Master Luke!" Threepio said as he finally arrived at the couch where Luke and Mara sat. "It's the strangest thing."

"What is?" Luke asked.

"The _Executor_, Master Luke. It's gone."

"Gone?" Mara said, sitting up straighter. "What do you mean, gone?"

"It's left the system, I'm afraid. As has that other large ship that arrived to help." Threepio half-turned to gesture back at his companion. "Artoo insists that he has a message for you and Mistress Leia, and another for Mistress Padmé, though I have not been able to locate her yet."

"She's right over there, Threepio," Luke said standing up. "Is there somewhere quieter we can go?"

"I believe there is a balcony at the end of this corridor," Threepio replied.

Luke quickly gathered his mother and sister and headed out to the balcony with Mara and Han, who followed them outside. The night sky bloomed with fireworks, and far below on the streets they could faintly hear the partyers reveling, but up here it was relatively quiet.

"Now what's this about a message?" Threepio said to Artoo once they were all gathered around the droids. Luke and Leia stood on either side of their mother, with Mara and Han standing next to them.

Artoo whistled and tweeted, then leaned forward and activated his miniature holoprojector. In front of them appeared a life-size holographic recording of Darth Vader, dressed in his usual black Imperial uniform and cloak. Luke thought he looked stiff and formal, distinctly uncomfortable, and wished his father was here in person so that he could ask him what he was thinking.

After a long moment of silence, Vader finally began. "_I am leaving_," he said without preamble. "_I am taking my vessel and departing for the Unknown Regions. Luke, please do not try to follow me. Your place is here, with your sister and… your mother. There is much work to be done, and you and Leia are the best suited to provide leadership in what will undoubtedly be a time of great upheaval._

"_I am ordering the forces still loyal to me to enforce my last command as Emperor. They are to ensure that a truce is negotiated between your new Republic and whatever remains of the Empire when the civil war is over. Pestage is devious, and he cannot be trusted, but he can be made to see reason. You may be able to work out some sort of agreement with him to stop the fighting, if only so that he will be free to deal with his own uprisings._

"_There is a storm coming, a threat the likes of which this galaxy has never seen. It is imperative that you work to cease fighting with each other and instead ally yourselves against the coming invasion. If we can present a united front against the invaders, we may yet survive. I am leaving you all the information I have on the Far Outsiders. Please, share it with the galaxy as I should have years ago."_

Vader paused for a moment, seeming to be collecting himself before he continued. "_Leia_," he said, "_I know you have not forgiven me for what I have done, nor do I expect you to._"

Luke glanced over at his sister to find her watching the image with a troubled mix of emotions. Han silently reached over and took her hand, and she squeezed his fingers gratefully.

"_I ask only that you listen,_" Vader went on. "_Do not let your anger consume you, as I let mine. I know that you will never think of me as your father, and that I can never earn your love, but please, let go of your anger. Don't make the same mistakes I did. The Dark Side gives you strength, but it eats away at who you are; don't let yourself follow my path."_

He turned slightly, and Artoo angled the projector so that the image was looking at Luke. "_Luke, my son_," he began, "_to you I leave the same advice I gave to your sister; never allow the Dark Side into your heart. It is… too late for me, but you can still have a future with the ones you love. You are a good person, Luke. Never allow yourself to slip away from that. Remember what I told you on Korriban. Remember the difference between being feared and being respected. Perhaps you will be able to accomplish what I could not, if you guard your heart against the darkness."_

The image turned toward Luke's mother, and there was a noticeable softening of Vader's expression, especially around the eyes. "_Padmé,_" he said, "_I know you can never forgive me for what I did, nor do I deserve to be forgiven, but I just want you to know that… I love you. I always have, and I always will. I have given back the life I took from you, so now do with it as you will. Get to know our children, and watch over them for me while I am gone. I am sorry for all that I have put you through, but I hope that now, without me, you can finally find the happiness you deserve. Goodbye, my angel."_

The image of Vader raised a hand in farewell, and then slowly faded away.

Luke saw tears in his mother's eyes. "Oh, Anakin…" she whispered.

He reached out to put a comforting hand on her shoulder, and she clasped his hand in thanks, smiling through her tears at him. "Thank you," she said. "Now, please, if you don't mind, I would like to be alone for a little while."

"All right," Luke said. With a glance at the others, he departed, heading back inside.

Just before he closed the door to the balcony, Luke heard his mother say softly, "Please play the message again, Artoo."

Luke paused for just a moment, looking back at his mother, but then turned and went inside with his friends.

* * *

On the edge of known space, the _Executor_ and the _Eclipse_ met for a final rendezvous. Emperor Skywalker met with Grand Admiral Thrawn and Baron Fel in his quarters aboard the flagship.

Soontir Fel, a tall, broad-chested man with close-cropped dark hair and a trim goatee, stood stiffly in his black-and-red Imperial uniform with his hands clasped behind his back, the perfect picture of military posture.

"You are to be commended for your actions during the battle," Vader said, facing the viewport, his back to Fel.

"Thank you, my lord," Fel replied. "I did only my duty as a loyal soldier of the Empire."

"An increasingly rare motive for action," Vader noted, unable to entirely keep the bitterness from his tone. He paused for a long moment. "Do you consider yourself a fair man, Baron Fel?" he asked finally.

"I… suppose so, my lord," Fel replied.

"The _Eclipse_ is an incredible weapon, is it not?" said Vader.

"It is, my lord," Fel said evenly, his voice betraying none of the confusion Vader nevertheless sensed through the Force.

"Do you trust yourself not to misuse it?" Vader asked, finally turning to look at the other man.

Fel met his gaze resolutely. "Yes, my lord," he answered firmly. "It has incredible potential for devastation, and as such must be used with the utmost caution and forethought."

Vader let his eyes bore into the other man's for a long moment, searching out his true feelings with the Force. Fel was a good soldier, as he already knew, an honorable man with strong convictions and a stronger will.

"Then it is yours," Vader said, turning back to the viewport.

"My lord?" Fel asked, surprised.

"The _Eclipse_ is yours," Vader said again. "Use it to unify as much of the Imperial military as you can against the threat we all know is coming. Keep Pestage and the other bureaucrats in line, and ensure that they do not threaten the peace." He turned to glance over his shoulder at Fel. "I am leaving known space," he said, "but I may someday return. If I do, I expect you to have formed a second line of defense in case the Vanguard Fleet fails. The Far Outsiders cannot be allowed to overrun this galaxy."

"Yes, my lord," Fel said.

"Return to your ship, Baron," Vader said, turning back to the window. "And may the Force be with you."

Fel paused ever so slightly in surprise. "And with you as well, my lord," he replied, then turned and left.

Thrawn moved over to stand next to Vader from where he had been standing silently throughout the conversation. "Orders, Lord Vader?"

"Proceed to Vanguard Base Alpha," Vader replied. "Now we hold the line for as long as we can."

"Yes, sir," said Thrawn. Then he, too turned and left, leaving the Dark Lord alone in his quarters.

Vader remained behind, staring out of the viewport for a long time.

* * *

A little while after hearing Vader's message, Leia returned to the balcony to find her mother leaning on the railing, gazing out over the city she called home.

She was about to leave Padmé to her thoughts when her mother said, "He was a good man once."

Leia walked over to the edge of the balcony and joined her mother there.

Padmé looked over at her with a sad smile before continuing. "Anakin never did anything halfway; he was one of those men who saw the world in black and white. Either you were his friend, and he would die to protect you, or you were his enemy, and he would stop at nothing to ensure your destruction."

Leia knew this from having been his enemy for the last several years; Darth Vader was nothing if not determined.

Padmé looked down at her hands, and Leia saw that she held something there, a small necklace made from some kind of carved ivory wood. "He could be so gentle," she said. One corner of her mouth lifted in a small, sad smile. "He had this… sense of humor, a way to keep you from worrying about what was going on, no matter how bad it would get."

"Han is the same way," Leia said.

Padmé smiled. She held up the necklace so Leia could see it. "He carved this for me when we first met. I've always had it with me, ever since." She looked over at Leia. "I know it's hard for you to accept, because you've only ever known him as Darth Vader, but Anakin was one of the kindest men I've ever known. He… he would have made a good father, if he hadn't…"

Leia nodded slowly, reluctantly accepting this. She was quiet for a long moment before she spoke again, looking out at the lights of the city.

"I can forgive Anakin Skywalker," she said finally. She looked over at her mother. "I can accept that he was once a good man, from what you have told me."

Padmé sighed, looking back down at the necklace. "I don't think he can forgive himself," she said. She sighed again. "I wish I hadn't said those things to him. I wish I hadn't called him a monster."

"I said things to him I regret, as well," Leia agreed. "I couldn't see past my own hatred for him to see what he was really trying to do." She reached out to take her mother's hand. "Luke is right. There is still good in him. I just wish I could have seen it before it was too late."

Padmé looked up at the stars overhead, into which her husband had vanished. "Do you think he'll ever come back?"

Leia looked up to the stars, also. "Maybe, someday, when he can give up his anger… Anakin will come back."

Padmé's hand squeezed hers. "I hope so," she said quietly.

* * *

-/\\-


	38. Part III Epilogue

-/\\-

* * *

**Epilogue**

Three weeks after the Battle of Naboo and the destruction of Korriban, Baron Soontir Fel's faction of the Empire and the newly formed New Republic signed an official peace treaty on Alderaan.

Both New Republic X-wings and Imperial TIE fighters flew in formation above the elegant white spires of the Royal Palace in Aldera City, blending their formation as a symbol of the truce between their governments.

Luke Skywalker, dressed in tan and brown robes, stood beside the long table set out in the throne room of the palace. Mara Jade stood next to him, dressed similarly, though her robes were a darker brown. Leia Organa Skywalker reflected both her position as a member of the new Jedi Order and as a member of the Royal Family of Alderaan by dressing in white robes, her lightsaber gleaming at her side.

The young Jedi passed his gaze around the long table, looking at the assortment of dignitaries both seated at the table itself and standing behind it. Baron Fel himself sat across from Mon Mothma, his signing instrument ready. The Imperial officer's black-and-red uniform was crisply pressed, with nary a wrinkle to be seen, and his posture was equally stiff and formal.

Using the tremendous tactical advantage of the _Eclipse_, the surviving elements of Isard's fleet, and the loyalist elements of the Imperial civil war, Baron Fel had quickly taken control of most of the Empire's territory. Sate Pestage and his supporters had burrowed in on Coruscant and other Core planets, and would likely continue to resist for a number of years, but for now, Soontir Fel had taken up the position of Emperor in all but name. His first act as the nominal leader of the Empire was to declare a truce with the Alliance and begin negotiations for a formal treaty, as per Lord Vader's last orders.

He had withdrawn all Imperial troops from Alderaan, which would shortly become the New Republic's capital as the Alliance made the transition from rebellion to government. Thousands of sentients had flocked to Alderaan to witness the historic treaty, and trillions more watched through the HoloNet cameras mounted at various places around the throne room.

At an unobtrusive cue from the news team covering the event, signaling that they were ready, Baron Fel leaned forward and signed the treaty. He turned the document around and extended it to Mon Mothma, who reached out and signed it with her own instrument.

The crowd applauded as Baron Fel and Mon Mothma stood and shook hands, contrasted in her elegant white gown and reserved jewelry, and his crisp uniform and black leather gloves.

Luke himself felt a deep sense of peace. The worst was over, and the greatest threats to peace were gone for now. Finally, the galaxy had a chance to catch its breath and recover - for a few years at least.

Luke barely listened to the ensuing round of speeches from the various gathered dignitaries, his mind on other things. Over the last three weeks, he had been intensively studying the files his father had left behind on the Far Outsiders. The best estimates of the Vanguard Fleet reconnaissance teams put the bulk of the invaders' forces at least twenty years from arriving at the edges of the galaxy, but they had gained a number of foothold bases in the Unknown Regions. Grand Admiral Thrawn's people, the Chiss, had allied themselves with the Empire and the Vanguard Fleet, and were, for now, keeping the Far Outsiders at bay.

But with trillions more of the invaders on the way, they could not hold the line by themselves forever…

[...]

As the observers dispersed to prepare for that evening's formal dinner, Luke drifted off to one of the palace gardens to sit and think. He was joined a few minutes later by Mara, who quietly approached to sit next to him on one of the benches.

"So, Skywalker," she said, her tone light and a bit teasing, "are you planning to rebuild the Jedi Order just the way it was?"

Luke looked over at her to see her smiling, green eyes twinkling mischievously. He smiled himself as he sensed her meaning. "There are a few rules I'm not planning to keep," he murmured, leaning closer to her.

"That's good to hear," she replied softly, grinning again as she reached for him.

As they kissed, Luke felt an odd twinge in the Force, and he saw a vision of the future - _their_ future - and of what they would face together. Challenges, children, friends, enemies, allies, dangers, joys, sorrows; all of it swirled into a sort of living mosaic, flowing around them like a river of light.

One image from the flood stood out to Luke momentarily: he saw himself with a small red-haired child perched on his shoulders, pointing up at the stars as they laughed. In his vision, he saw Mara approaching, and she smiled as she joined them, looking up into the pearled velvet blanket that was the sky.

Back in the palace gardens, Luke smiled at Mara as he reached up to gently caress her cheek. "I love you," he said.

She leaned forward to kiss him again. "I love you, too," she said when they parted. The mischievous glint returned to her eyes. "Now, are you going to do it, or do I have to? I saw the vision, too, you know. Might as well make it official."

Luke laughed lightly. "All right then. Mara Jade, will you marry me?"

Mara smiled, reaching over to take his hand. "Of course I will, Skywalker."

"I'm very happy to hear that, Jade Skywalker," he replied, grinning back.

"Jade Skywalker," Mara said mock-thoughtfully. "I like the sound of that."

Luke laughed again, but glanced over as he sensed someone approaching.

"Me, too," said Han Solo, grinning broadly as he walked into the garden with Leia. "Me and Lando had a bet on how long it would take you two kids to make it official. Looks like he owes me fifty credits." He chuckled, reaching out to clap Luke on the shoulder. "Congratulations, junior."

Leia smiled as she reached over to hug her brother. "I'm so happy for you," she said.

"So, Solo," Mara began, but Han held up a hand.

"Why, yes I am," he said with a wink.

Before anyone could say anything else, he turned to Leia and grinned. "So, Leia Naberrie Skywalker Organa, feel like adding one more to the mouthful?"

"Oh, I don't know," Leia said, her dark eyes twinkling, "that might be too many to remember."

Mara laughed, and Luke had to smile himself. Han reached out to put an arm around Leia's shoulders. "I think you can handle it," he said, still grinning.

"Me, too," Leia replied with her own smile. "Yes, Han Solo, I will marry you," she went on. "Maybe I can finally make you a respectable citizen."

"Nah," said Han. "I think you'll end up a scoundrel just like me."

"Maybe," said Leia, reaching up to kiss his cheek.

"Did you ask her yet?" Lando's voice asked in an exaggerated whisper from the doorway. Luke could hear the smile in the gambler's voice.

"Yeah," Han stage-whispered back with a big grin, his arm still around Leia. "She said she liked you better."

"If only," Lando chuckled, emerging from the doorway. Behind him came the droids, Winter, Chewbacca, and Malysa Kolos and her brother.

Chewbacca bellowed a happy greeting, spreading his furry arms wide as if to encompass all of those he considered his honor family. He swept Leia up in a tremendous hug, lifting her completely off the ground as he growled how happy he was for them. She laughed, patting his furry shoulder as he set her back down.

Overhead, fireworks exploded in celebration of the day's events, glowing brightly against the brilliant red-and-orange sunset.

His mother joined them shortly, smiling as they told her the news.

Padmé folded both Luke and Leia into an embrace. "I'm so proud of you both," she said. "I wish you each the best of happiness."

At another gentle twinge in the Force, Luke looked over at the corner of the gardens by the railing that looked out over the sweeping white city and the majestic snow-capped mountains beyond. There, he saw the flickering, transparent forms of Obi-Wan, Yoda, and a tall human man with long brown hair and a beard.

"Master Qui-Gon," said Malysa, moving to stand next to Luke.

"You have both done well," the Jedi Master replied in a deep, rich voice, smiling.

"The road ahead of you is a long one," said Obi-Wan, "but you will see it through. I am proud of you, Luke," he said with a paternal smile.

"May the Force be with you," said Yoda, looking up at them in approval. "Farewell."

As they slowly faded away, Luke looked back at his friends and family and smiled himself.

The future was open before them, and the possibilities were endless.

* * *

This is how it feels to be Darth Vader right now:

As your mighty flagship flies on into the unknown, you stand alone in your quarters, gazing into the infinite blackness of space, pondering the darkness within your own soul.

It seems your destiny to always end up alone, you think. The events of your life seem to conspire so that everyone you love goes away in the end.

First, you had to leave your mother behind on Tatooine when you left to join the Jedi. You did not see her again for years, and even then only to have her die in your arms after one final goodbye.

Then you received the incredible gift of Padmé, a woman who seemed to truly understand you for who you are. You were never in your life as happy as in the times you spent with her, but you threw it all away when you let your fear, anger, and hate drag you down into darkness.

You should have listened to her, you think. Before your fall, she had said to you that she was afraid the Republic was drifting away from what it was meant to be, that you might even be on the wrong side. But no, you refused to listen to her.

For decades, you have lied to yourself. You have tried to tell yourself that you had fallen to the Dark Side out of concern for Padmé, that you only listened to Palpatine so that you could find a way to save her, but you know deep inside that you really fell because of your own desire for more power.

You had been endlessly frustrated by the restrictions of the Jedi, and you became convinced that they were holding you back, limiting you from reaching your true potential. Thus, when Palpatine offered you another way out, a way to truly live up to your potential, you gave in to your secret desires, your dreams of greater power and prestige. You let yourself go hurtling into darkness and violence.

And what has it gotten you? An Empire that has rejected you. A wife that rejected you. Children that rejected you. You know you have no one else to blame but yourself.

Your loneliness and pain is no one's fault but your own.

For all your talk of balance within the Force, you have given your emotions entirely too much freedom in influencing your decisions. You are not fit to rule a galaxy, you think. All you are fit to do is destroy; it seems sometimes like destruction is all you are ever able to accomplish.

Well, you think bitterly, you will certainly have plenty of opportunity where you are going. Pain is all the Far Outsiders seem to understand, and you are certainly capable of doling out plenty of that.

You look down at the lightsaber in your hand, the gleaming chrome hilt that belonged to the man you once were. Is there anything left of him still?

Perhaps, you think. Perhaps the darkness has not taken you entirely. Perhaps there is hope for you yet.

As Darth Vader, you are not ready now, but perhaps, in time, Anakin Skywalker can someday return to the ones he loves.

* * *

-/\\-

_**End Part III**_

-\/-

* * *

Acknowledgments: Major thanks to my original beta readers, Silverwolf05 and Desteni, and to all readers and reviewers.

The story continues in '_One Missed Strike: The New Jedi Order_', which you can find in my stories list. Thanks for reading!


End file.
